No solution on the table as unrepresented defendants continue to be released in Massachusetts

BY CHRIS LISINSKI

Amid reports of major impacts to the state’s judicial system due to a work stoppage, Gov. Maura Healey said Monday she would “do everything [she] can” to bring bar advocates back to courtrooms but stopped short of endorsing the specific pay raise the attorneys seek.

Bar advocates, private attorneys who handle most of the state’s public defense caseload for defendants who cannot afford lawyers, stopped taking cases in late May to protest pay rates they say are much lower in Massachusetts than other states. As a result, some courts have been forced to release unrepresented defendants.

“One, bar advocates deserve to be paid a fair wage. Number two, it’s not a good situation where people don’t have representation and are being released,” Healey told reporters. “I’ll do everything I can to advocate for a swift resolution of this matter.”

The fiscal year 2026 budget approved by lawmakers and signed by Healey did not increase pay for bar advocates, who continue to call on Beacon Hill to raise their rates to $100 per hour.

“I’m going to continue to be in dialogue with the Legislature. My hope is that all sides can come together and work something out, so that there could be an end to this work stoppage, and defendants can have representation, and more advocates get the wage that they deserve,” Healey said.

While Healey and the Legislature appear to have the power to broker a pay agreement to resolve the problem, it’s not clear if they have a plan.

Asked what she thinks a fair wage would be for bar advocates, Healey replied, “I’m not in a position to say that.”