Massachusetts lawmakers in the House and Senate passed a bill raising wages for bar advocates. Bar advocates are contracted by the state to represent defendants who cannot afford a lawyer, and some have stopped their work since Memorial Day, demanding better wages.
The deal would raise bar advocate wages by $10 an hour starting immediately with a promise to raise their wages another $10 an hour next fiscal year. Currently, bar advocates in Massachusetts make $65 an hour, compared to more than $100 an hour for advocates in other New England states.
A group of advocates gathered at the State House Thursday to protest the deal, which they say, was constructed in a back room without their input…