Attorney tells board conflict‑panel lawyers are not being paid on time

During public comment on Sept. 17, Barbara Thomas, an attorney on the CAP conflicts panel, told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors that many panel attorneys — who represent indigent clients when the public defender has a conflict — are not receiving timely payment for submitted bills under a new hourly billing requirement.

Thomas said she had submitted more than $45,000 in invoices dating to May and had received a check for only $225. She said some panel members are not paid at all and that delays threaten their ability to retain experts and to continue representing defendants in serious cases, including homicides.

Thomas urged the board to increase upfront payments to conflict‑panel attorneys and to set a hard deadline for the county to pay submitted bills. She noted the panel includes roughly 170 attorneys and that the Alameda County Bar Association currently lacks a transparent method for distributing payments among panel members.

A county supervisor acknowledged the problem and said staff is working with the bar association and the contractor that administers the funds to address payment issues. Thomas left a supplemental packet for Supervisor Wilma Chan’s staff.

The board did not take immediate action on the request during the Sept. 17 meeting; staff said they were aware and working on the issue.