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Local attorneys warn Centre County faces shortage of lawyers for indigent criminal and child-welfare cases
Summary
Three Centre County private attorneys told county commissioners that an aging private bar and difficulty recruiting younger lawyers are creating a growing shortage of counsel for indigent criminal defendants and dependency hearings under state statute.
Three local private-practice attorneys told the Centre County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 1 that the county faces a growing shortage of lawyers willing to represent indigent criminal defendants and serve in child-welfare (CYS) dependency hearings. They urged the commissioners to meet with the bar to discuss options, including paid positions or other incentives to attract attorneys.
"We really don't have that many younger attorneys in this county anymore," said Ron McLaughlin, a Bellefonte-based lawyer who said he has accepted court appointments for years. He described a pattern in which a small number of lawyers cover cases across several neighboring counties and warned that the workload is becoming unsustainable.
McLaughlin and two colleagues—Tonya Turquato, a partner at Stover McLaughlin, and Jennifer Bierle of Leech Tishman—said the shortage is most acute in rural jurisdictions and has led neighboring counties to call Centre County attorneys to handle cases. "It's a problem in other jurisdictions," McLaughlin said, describing days when he has handled matters in three counties in a single day.
The attorneys described specific pressures in dependency cases where multiple appointed counsel, guardians ad litem and parents' attorneys often must be scheduled on short statutory timelines. "You can have five attorneys involved, and we get an email from court personnel saying, 'Can you be here for a dependency hearing on Thursday?' No, because I'm booked," McLaughlin said.
"If we don't get ahead of it now ... judges are forced to discontinue, dismiss criminal cases before adjudication because they do not have ... lawyers," said Bierle, who said she had seen that happen in other parts of the country. "I don't want a child who has been abused ... to be returned to that parent because Tonya Torquato can't be in a 72-hour CYS dependency hearing," she said.
The attorneys proposed meeting with county officials and the local bar to explore solutions. "Positions like perhaps hiring a full-time attorney that could fill those positions and needs ... is one of the ideas and solutions," Turquato said, citing student-loan pressure and the cost of living as recruitment challenges.
Commissioners responded that the court system had recently raised the issue with them and that they would convene follow-up discussions with the courts, county administration and the bar association. Commissioner Concepcion said the county would welcome broader input; Commissioner Dershow said Centre County likely has more lawyers available than some neighboring rural counties but acknowledged the demographic trend.
County staff encouraged any lawyers willing to accept court appointments at discounted rates to contact Centre County Court Administration to be added to the list; the commissioners said the list currently included roughly seven or eight volunteer attorneys. No formal county action was taken at the meeting.
Ending: Commissioners agreed to pursue further conversations and to include the county bar association and other stakeholders in follow-up meetings. No specific funding or staffing commitments were announced at the meeting.
