400 | Why the Lawyers Handling 80% of Massachusetts's Public Defender Cases Stopped Taking New Cases w/Shira Diner
Description
Today, Hunter was joined by Professor Shira Diner to discuss the Bar Advocate work stoppage in the state of Massachusetts. Back in May, the Bar Advocates, the private defense lawyers who handle 80% of Massachusetts’s public defender workload, stopped taking new cases due to the incredibly low hourly rate they are paid. Since then, thousands of people have been left without representation as the courts have been unable to assign cases to attorneys. Now the question is, where does the state go from here?
Guest:
Shira Diner, Professor of Law, Boston University
Resources:
News on Bar Advocates Here
https://www.alaa.org/thealaaorganizer/massachusetts-defense-attorneys-enter-third-month-on-strike
https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/06/27/court-massachusetts-defense-strike-bar
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/bar-advocates-attorney-work-stoppage-pay-raise/
https://www.wcvb.com/article/bar-advocate-strike-massachusetts-healey/65491317
Contact Shira
https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/shira-m-diner/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
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