Massachusetts is raising the pay for private defense attorneys, in an effort to cajole them into resuming work for clients who can’t afford representation. But a survey of some of those former clients shows many believe they weren’t properly represented in court.
Dwight Williams, 41, who is serving life without parole for a 2005 murder he says he did not commit, has spent years trying to get the state’s public defense office to help him overturn his conviction. He says his trial attorney — a “bar advocate” appointed and paid by the state — made numerous errors that contributed to his conviction. He heard much of the same from others in the prison.
“I had experienced a lot of inequities with assigned council, but also heard countless complaints regarding assigned council,” Williams told GBH News. “I basically took it upon myself to try to document these complaints and just gauge people’s experiences. So I created a questionnaire and I just asked people to answer yes or no.”…