Boone County Bar Association comments on intention to appoint members of private bar

The Boone County Bar Association confirms it has received notice from 13th Circuit Court Presiding Judge Kevin Crane of the court’s intention to begin immediately appointing private practice attorneys to represent criminal defendants.

District Defender David Wallis said public defenders in the District 13 Office will not be assigned to represent criminal defendants who are otherwise eligible until the workload of the attorneys in the office becomes manageable.

The BCBA recognizes the difficult position the court system and public defender system now find themselves.

The BCBA Executive Committee said they will be meeting soon and will be discussing what actions, if any, may be appropriate to take and the impact on the membership.

ABC17 first broke the story on Wednesday.