Governor Maura Healey signed a pay raise for court-appointed attorneys on Tuesday, but it remains unclear how far it will go to end the lawyers’ work stoppage and solve the ongoing crisis gripping the courts .

The appropriation gives the private attorneys, known as bar advocates, $10 an hour more effective immediately, and an additional $10 an hour starting next year, to take cases representing the state’s poor. The measure also budgets for the hiring of more staff public defenders and changes language in the bar advocates’ contracts to cut down on future work stoppages.

“This agreement provides a substantial raise for bar advocates that reflects our commitment to supporting the important work that they do, even in a challenging budget year,” Healey said in a statement released after

See Full Page