A Philadelphia judge asked by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the fees paid to capital-case defense lawyers said in a report Wednesday that the homicide program has fixed its crisis.
Senior Judge Benjamin Lerner said that a fee schedule of $10,000 for lead counsel, $7,500 for penalty phase counsel and a $400 per diem fee for each day of trial beyond five days, as well as simplification in the approval process for lawyers willing to be appointed in capital cases, has led to a sufficient number of qualified attorneys on the First Judicial District's capital homicide trial-appointment list.
