In Missouri, public defenders earn a starting salary of $37,800 but were expected to handle an average of 298 cases each last year. Throughout the United States, public defenders are in similar circumstances, earning low salaries, carrying heavy caseloads and handling some of the toughest cases our legal system sees. What dedication drives them to do it. What can be done to improve their pay and working conditions?

On this week’s Coast to Coast, we discuss the plight of public defenders. Our guests for the program are:

  • Greg Apt, a public defender in Los Angeles County for 11 years.
  • Josh Hanye, a second-year public defender in the Boston Trial Unit of the Massachusettts Committee for Public Counsel Services.
  • Robert Spangenberg, president of the Spangenberg Group, a nationally recognized research and consulting firm specializing in improving justice programs.

Coast to Coast is the weekly legal news podcast cohosted by J. Craig Williams and me and produced by the Legal Talk Network. An archive of all past shows is available here. All shows are available to listen to in Windows Media format or to download in MP3 format. The show’s RSS feed is available here.

  • Download or listen to this show here.
Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.