After the Supreme Court affirmed the right to court-appointed counsel for criminal defendants, many were still left disadvantaged as payment for counsel’s time or expenses related to building a defense was not provided for. Congress responded by passing the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). It provides hourly fees and expenses for court-appointed lawyers. This allows our office to keep a panel of private attorneys, called the CJA Panel, to serve as court-appointed lawyers in cases we are unable to take. You may access a directory of our panel attorneys here.