Public Defender office warns of mounting caseloads and urges contractor pay pilot The chief public defender and commission told the committee caseloads are up about 42% over nine years; contract attorneys have declined and are paid far less than civil contractors. The office urged funding for a pilot to pay contract attorneys hourly (proposed $150/hr) to improve recruitment and retention and asked for supplemental help for core transcription and training.

New Mexico's public defenders are sounding the alarm as workloads surge 42% over the past nine years, urging lawmakers to fund a pilot project for competitive hourly pay to attract much-needed contract attorneys.

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