LAKEPORT — Less than a year after the committee to oversee Lake County”s public defender program was established, following a grand jury report that criticized the program”s operation, the program may now be heading in the right direction.
A report from the Public Defender Program Oversight (PDPO) committee was submitted to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday along with a request to renew the contract with Lake Legal Defense Services (LLDS), the law firm that currently contracts with the county to provide indigent Lake County residents with legal defense.
“The new contract is a lot different than the old one,” explained Chief Deputy Administrative Officer Matt Perry. “I think it”s a substantial improvement.”
Last summer, a grand jury report was released that extremely critical of the public defender program, which at that time was contracted through Indigent Representation Administration, a law firm in which Stephen Carter was a co-principal.
The current program has been administered through the LLSD, in which Carter is the sole principal.
The county contracts with LLSD and Carter then hires 11 other attorneys, four more than in the previous contract, as subcontractors to provide legal defense to county residents who could not otherwise afford legal representation.
The PDPO committee, chaired by former County Counsel Cameron Reeves, said in their report to the board, “The contractor appears to be complying with all provisions of the current agreement and that all aspects of the program have improved measurably under the current agreement.”
Additionally, the committee found that Carter is consistently training, monitoring and meeting with subcontractors in well-attended monthly meetings, a practice that reportedly has improved moral and performance.
“I think the county, having increased the number of attorneys last year, took a good step in improving the program overall,” said Carter.
“It”s had a positive effect on the indigent residents in the county [that require legal defense],” Carter said. “It”s an important mission to serve the rural poor.”
The committee also reported that “court (judges) have noted the positive improvements in the program and the committee has received no complaints or present concerns from the court with the program.”
A concern about a lack of space for the attorneys to meet with their clients an issue raised in the grand jury report has not yet been resolved.
“Right now, the attorneys aren”t able to meet with their clients, except at the jail,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown, who is a member of the committee. “A lot of times, the attorneys are turned away because there”s no place to meet or asked to wait hours.
“It”s nobody”s fault,” Brown added. “There just isn”t room.”
Board members Tuesday decided to continue to seek space for attorney-client meetings at the Lakeport courthouse.
The terms of the current contract require that the county give a three-month advance notice if they wish to renew it. The contract with LLDS was set to expire on Sept. 30, which is why the matter and a report from the committee was brought before the board on Tuesday.
The board voted to renew the contract.
“It was a real test for us, sticking our necks out,” Brown said. “I was confident that Stephen Carter would do a good job and he has.”
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
