Attorney Ron Reed has worked as a public defender in Butte County since 1986. This guest commentary was extracted, with Reed’s permission, from a report he prepared and mailed to about 150 interested parties.
In 1989, a group of 10 local lawyers formed a consortium in Butte County to handle indigent defense. They operated independently, kept private practices, and renewed contracts every three years as caseloads grew. Today, 18 attorneys each receive $14,000 per month to cover a share of indigent defense.