Bar advocates form group to seek higher pay

BOSTON — Public defenders have created a new group to lobby Beacon Hill lawmakers to increase pay for hundreds of private attorneys who represent indigent clients.

The newly formed Massachusetts Association of Private Appointed Counsel will focus on boosting compensation for so-called “bar advocates” who represent about 80% of the indigent clients in the state’s court system. The group said the system faces a “crisis” that has forced judges to release defendants and dismiss hundreds of cases for lack of representation.