Attorneys agree that selecting juries and attending sentencing hearings are essential elements when handling any case, but city of Philadelphia officials charged with processing payments for court-appointed attorneys might think differently. According to numerous sources, the unit within the Philadelphia Department of Public Safety responsible for processing payments for court-appointed attorneys has recently begun cutting fees for nearly all work, except for days spent at trial.
Sources, many of whom work as court-appointed counsel, said this means the city is not paying them for jury selection, jury deliberation, or sentencing hearings that occur on days other than the trial day. Sources also said they are often not being paid for preparing their clients for trial, and are not being reimbursed for outside investigators.
