1975, June, Pg. 1288. From our Readers.

4 Colo.Law. 1288

Colorado Lawyer

1975.

1975, June, Pg. 1288.

From our Readers

1288Vol. 4, No. 6, Pg. 1288From our ReadersIn keeping with The Colorado Lawyer's expressed purpose of presenting only the most practical of material, for those select few of our readers who are interested in money, fees, and the like we present herewith an item from the Boulder County Bar Association Newsletter.Crime Doesn't Pay. ---Anonymous.

It seems appropriate to address ourselves to the serious problem of payments of fees to lawyers who are appointed to represent criminals who are indigent before, instead of after, they pay attorneys' fees. This is an area of considerable concern to the criminal bar.

The fees paid to court-appointed attorneys are established by the Supreme Court and payment varies depending on the class of felony involved. For those who are unfamiliar with the criminal code, felonies are classified from first to fifth class and misdemeanors from first to third class. As I have often pointed out in this column, in the law things are not always as they seem and this is certainly true with the definition of felonies. A first class felony is not one pulled off in a slick manner and a fifth class felony a sloppy job. Instead, the class of crime refers to the quantity of punishment inflicted upon the criminal, if such he be proved to be, and it is quite possible for a client to commit a first class felony in an embarrassingly sloppy manner. Because it is the quantity of punishment that most felons fear, it is not uncommon for criminal lawyers to charge more for defending persons charged with first class felonies than for defending those charged with fourth class felonies. In addition, since felons are usually not lawyers(fn*) and hence probably not concerned with semantics, they are not offended at being charged with having done something that is considered by society to be fourth class instead of first class.

The fees that are paid to lawyers who are appointed by the court to represent felons as prescribed in a letter from the Colorado Judicial Department dated January 6, 1972, are as follows:

1) The maximum amount to be paid, regardless of the number of hours:

a) Class 1 felonies $2,000

b) Class 2 felonies 1,000

c) Class 3 felonies 500

d) Class 4 felonies 400

e) Class 5 felonies 400

Class 1,2,3 misdemeanors...