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Committee forwards Legal Aid Society two‑attorney contract to Finance; intake clerk hours increase withdrawn
Summary
Assigned Counsel withdrew a request to increase an intake clerk from 20 to 35 hours pending written approval of a grant budget amendment; the committee approved sending a two‑attorney Legal Aid Society contract proposal to the Finance Committee to handle family‑court conflicts and reduce 18B expenses.
Tom Cioffi, Supervising Attorney for Washington County Assigned Counsel, told the Public Safety Committee on March 3 that he had requested increasing an Intake Clerk position from 20 to 35 hours per week, funded from the Family Defense grant, to help screen clients and connect them with services. Cioffi said the clerk’s screening work saves attorney time: “Every hour she spends helping a client is an hour an attorney does not have to spend on the case saving money.”
Cioffi said the Family Defense grant covers the clerk’s salary; the grant is a three‑year award at $250,000 per year. County Treasurer and others cautioned that moving forward should be contingent on a formal budget amendment accepted by Indigent Legal Services (ILS). Supervisor Hogan suggested waiting for written confirmation from ILS before approving the staffing change. Cioffi withdrew the request and said he will return to the committee once the budget amendment is accepted.
Cioffi also discussed caseload pressures: Assigned Counsel handled roughly 1,200 more cases than the Public Defender’s Office last year, creating higher outside counsel (18B) costs. To reduce those costs, committee members approved forwarding a two‑attorney contract proposal with the Legal Aid Society to the Finance Committee for consideration; the motion was moved by Mr. O’Brien, seconded by Mr. Herrick and adopted.
The committee record shows the Legal Aid contract is intended to handle family‑court conflicts that would otherwise be referred to private 18B attorneys (the transcript cites an 18B rate of $158/hour). The Finance Committee will review the contract terms and projected costs before any contract is executed.
