For Immediate Release
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Indigent Defense Committee increases awareness of right-to-counsel
issues
December 22, 1998 - "It is the dichotomy between the
value our profession places upon the right to counsel and the lack of
public understanding of this concept that makes this book so important
to all practitioners," says State Bar President Susan Steingass.
The book, Promoting the Right to Counsel -- Talking Points,
Useful Information and the Law Concerning Indigent Defense and the Value
It Brings to the Citizens of Wisconsin, was produced by the State
Bar's Indigent Defense Committee. The book encourages and educates
Wisconsin attorneys on improving the public's understanding of the
criminal defense attorney's role in today's society and informs the
public about the need to provide effective representation to the
indigent.
"Representing the poor is an important part of what lawyers do" says
Indigent Defense Committee Chairperson William Retert. "And generating
public awareness of that right and the role lawyers play in protecting
it can only enhance the legal profession and its image."
The book provides the background necessary for an attorney to write a
letter to the editor; give a talk to a local group or organization, or a
class at a local school; or appear on radio or television explaining the
right to counsel and its importance. It reviews statutory and case law
development supporting the right of citizens accused of a crime to
receive the services of an attorney. The book discusses the
constitutional rights to counsel and effective assistance of counsel,
the delivery of legal services to the indigent defendant, the cost of
appointed counsel, and the public value of appointed counsel.
A copy of Promoting the Right to Counsel was given to every
public defender's office in the state and mailed to local bar
associations. The Committee would like a wide distribution and use of
the book. For your free copy, contact the State Bar.
Press Releases
