Defense attorneys frustrated about billing issues, missing payments with Wayne County’s IDSD

(CBS DETROIT)Lawyers representing some of our most vulnerable citizens claim they have yet to receive payment from the Wayne County Indigent Defense Services Department.

Some claim that they have up to $8,000 worth of billable hours that are awaiting approval, but there is no timeline for when that will occur.

“If this system can’t provide what’s requisite in terms of the defense and we can’t reasonably expect what has been set as our hourly rate, then that leaves our clients in the worst positions,” said Nicole Saady, a private attorney.

Those are clients who are unable to pay for legal representation. Even though Saady is hesitant to take on any additional cases until she receives payment for the more than $8,000 worth of work she has already billed, she explained why she is still listed on the Wayne County IDSD roll.

“I reject the majority of cases. Today, I just put a case on hold. It’s my dedication to my community and neighbors,” she stated.

Robyn McCoy, an attorney from Ann Arbor, claims she has been inactive with Wayne County IDSD since April and is currently down about $1,000. She claims that problems began once the billing system switched from event-based to hourly pay in March.

Keep track of how long you are on the judge’s record and how long it is until your case is called. Something along the lines of “there will be more scrutiny in Wayne County compared to the other counties because some attorneys have overbilled,” McCoy stated.

Regarding these allegations, CBS News Detroit contacted Wayne County’s IDSD but has not received a response. “I am not aware of any attorneys who are owed enormous sums of money,” Robin Dillard-Russaw, the director of the department, told the Detroit News. Many of the claims that lawyers are underpaid are untrue.

According to McCoy, the additional scrutiny in Wayne County prolongs the already drawn-out clearance procedure and diverts attention from working on the actual cases in order to accurately bill.

“First and foremost, it’s about the clients and ensuring they have quality legal representation; second, it’s about my fellow legal professionals. While some have ceased operations, others have departed, while others remain and are working for free. “You want to be sure that the attorney you have assigned to your case is dedicated to excellence,” McCoy stated.

After almost seven years as a news reporter and anchor in South Bend, Indiana, and Minot, North Dakota, Jack Springgate joins the CBS News Detroit staff.

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