Third Circuit, defense attorneys urge $3.3–$3.5M increase to retain juvenile counsel in Wayne County
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Summary
Third Circuit Court and local defense attorneys told the Ways and Means committee the county needs an additional $3.3–$3.5 million for juvenile attorney compensation to stop attrition; staff said funding analysis is underway and county finance aims to identify sources for 2026 but court and bar urged faster action.
Representatives of the Third Circuit Court and juvenile defense attorneys urged Wayne County officials to prioritize additional funding to retain counsel in juvenile court, saying the county is losing attorneys and the caseload is unsustainably high.
Frank Harister, speaking on behalf of the Third Circuit Court, said recent coordination with the county’s finance and budget office shows "additional funding is needed without a doubt" and estimated the county needs approximately $3.3 to $3.5 million in addition to current attorney budgets to be competitive and stem attrition.
Attorney Mark Freeman reported that "an additional five attorneys have retired" from the juvenile defense bar and described an exceptionally heavy docket, saying he personally had multiple permanent-custody trials in a single week. Freeman asked the county to give the matter immediate attention and expressed hope a resolution could be reached by the start of the new year rather than later in the first quarter.
A representative of private juvenile defense attorneys (recorded in the transcript as Miss White) said nearly a dozen private attorneys were present and expressed support for increasing fees to close a long-running disparity. She urged the committee to pursue the matter consistently so vacancies can be filled as soon as possible.
Management and Budget staff said they have begun preliminary analysis to identify funding sources and believe the county could be closer to neighboring counties once the analysis is complete; staff indicated county finance is exploring options that could be implemented in 2026 but court representatives pressed for an earlier timeline.
Next steps: staff and court officials will continue follow-up meetings; the committee requested updates from county finance and the court as the funding analysis proceeds.