Criminal defense attorneys across Massachusetts are being offered $2,500 for every five new cases they take, part of an urgent push to end a courtroom representation crisis caused by a work stoppage that began on Memorial Day.

The one-time $2,500 incentive was offered in an email sent to bar advocate attorneys statewide on Monday, signed by Committee for Public Counsel (CPCS) Chief Counsel Anthony Benedetti. The email was provided to MassLive by CPCS.

“This situation remains deeply concerning,” Benedetti wrote. “Every day that passes without counsel is another day that someone’s liberty, rights, and dignity are at risk. The urgency to act cannot be overstated.”

To assist in the “prompt assignment” of attorneys to criminal defendants with cases in Suffolk and Middlesex District Courts

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