Healey OKs bar advocate raises; attorney's promise continued fight for fair wages

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey approved pay raises for private attorneys who represent indigent clients in a move aimed at ending a work stoppage that has allowed more than 100 criminal defendants to be released for a lack of representation.

Healey signed a supplemental budget late Tuesday that includes a provision increasing compensation for so-called bar advocates by $20 over the next two years, bringing the average hourly pay to $85 per hour for most cases.