The state of New Hampshire recently upped the amount that lawyers can get paid when they take on cases where defendants can’t afford an attorney. The hourly rate for assigned counsel increased from $90 to $125 for most cases, and from $125 to $150 for major crimes, this January.

The pay increases are just one action to try and fix what is a longstanding problem: a lack of attorneys willing to take these cases.

An audit of the Judicial Council found that in March 2024, 20 to 40 incarcerated defendants were awaiting court services in New Hampshire, along with 100 to 125 non-incarcerated defendants and around ten juveniles.

The state’s Judicial Council is the agency essentially in charge of managing the system of indigent defense. As New Hampshire lawmakers try to pass the next sta

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