City’s public defenders to get pay parity with city lawyers
New York City’s public defenders will have their pay raised to match the salaries of the lawyers who represent the city — known as Corporation Counsel — the City Council and mayor announced Friday afternoon as part of their $92.8 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2020.
Public defenders across the city made a push in recent months to get their salaries to match Corporation Counsel, arguing that low pay makes it hard to recruit and retain lawyers who struggle to live and start families in New York. Some work second jobs to make ends meet. Public defenders are not public employees, but instead work for third-party organizations such as The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services that contract with the city.
In the weeks leading up to the budget agreement, public defenders made a video message for Mayor Bill de Blasio, and rallied on the steps of City Hall demanding millions of dollars in funding.