CAPE ATTORNEY GETS TOP HONORS

Kent Hall doesn't mind being among the cheapest lawyers in town. He said he never saw law as a way to make money anyway.

"I just had a desire to make a difference in people's lives," said Hall, who oversees work in five counties from the state public defender's office in Jackson. "Corporate lawyers are certainly needed, but that wasn't for me."

Convincing his clients of that isn't so easy. Some think because public defenders are paid by the state, they scheme with the prosecutor. Others doubt that an attorney who costs so little can be effective.

"The stereotypes usually come from people who are not happy with the results of their case," said Marty Robinson, director of the Missouri public defenders program. "They talk about how they needed to get a real lawyer. It stings a little bit, but you get used to it."

Hall has apparently not let it affect his work. After nearly 10 years of service, he was named the top public defender in the state this week by the Missouri Bar Association.

With most public defenders working three years before going on to higher paying private practices, Hall is an exception.

When he graduated from law school in 1989, Hall made $24,000 a year as a public defender in Buffalo.

"At the time, it was the lowest paying public defenders' state in the nation," Hall said.

Ten years later, new public defenders start at $30,500, which is a $3,000 raise from last year. But it's still about $17,000 less than what the average law school graduate is making, Hall said.

This has led to stereotypes of second-rate law students filling public defenders' offices.

Scott Spencer has been a public defender in Scott County for a year now, but not because he lacked options after graduation, he said.

"This is more for people who want to go into criminal work," said Spencer, who graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia's law school. "The salary actually compares well, and probably better, than an assistant county prosecutor's."

Hall estimates that 70 percent of all criminal cases are handled by public defenders.

In order to hire a public defender, a person must fill out an affidavit of indigence.

"Mostly, this is for people who lack the money to hire a private attorney," Hall said.

For a first time DWI offense, a private attorney charges between $500 and $1,000. Public defenders' fees start at $150 if someone pleads guilty, Hall said.

In his last murder trial, the defendant, who received verdict of not guilty, now owes the state $700 for Hall's work.

"If he hired a private attorney, it would've cost between $15,000 and $20,000," Hall said.

The state caps public defender fees at $5,000.

Other than fees and age, Judge William Syler notices little difference between private attorneys and public defenders.

"Actually, they are a little ahead on the learning curve," said Syler, presiding judge over Perry, Bollinger and Perry counties. "We're in an era when most lawyers are general practitioners. Public defenders are in front of the same judges day in and day out."

Many self-employed attorneys work from their offices and rarely appear in court, Syler said.

Syler has never seen a public defender seriously mishandle a case.

Spencer started in court with minor, class C and D felonies such as passing a bad check, nonpayment of child support and third offense DWI's. Only in the past month has he begun to handle class A felony cases, which are punishable by more than 15 years in prison.

In part, Spencer said his growth as a lawyer has come from training opportunities offered to public defenders.

Money for training comes from liens that judges place against public defenders' clients who have problems paying, Robinson said.

"If we don't get the money from liens, there goes most of our training," he said.

But whether or not liens are paid, public defenders are compensated by the state, Hall said.

Apparently, what Missouri offers overall is more attractive than other states. It keeps its public defenders an average of five years, Robinson said.

"That is unheard of anywhere in the country," he said.

Having more experienced attorneys like Hall, who is a mentor to the nine lawyers he supervises, improves the system, Robinson said.

Bringing up newly-graduated lawyers isn't the hard part of his job, Hall said. The clients are difficult.

"It's a constant," he said. "Many times you'll have a client who is disparaging of you, and then a prosecutor who is trying to beat you and a judge."

But Hall said he doesn't forget his job is to follow his client's wishes.

First-year lawyer Spencer seems attuned to that.

"After dealing with clients for a year, I see the need for public defenders even more," he said. "Society is against them, the prosecutor is against them. We're the only part of society that is for them."