Use of ADC Lawyers in Courtrooms

It is clear from the editorial that the author’s opinion of the Alternate Defense Counsel was based upon misinformation.

For the past six years the attorneys of the Alternate Defense Counsel (created by Los Angeles County after approximately seven years of planning) have provided consistent, quality legal representation to indigent defendants at a substantial savings to Los Angeles County taxpayers. ADC has always had a year-to-year contract that must be renewed each year by the county after careful scrutiny of the quality of legal representation and cost effectiveness.

As a result, ADC has consistently saved Los Angeles County substantial sums of money. The first two years (1983 and 1984), ADC provided legal services in Van Nuys and San Fernando courts and saved taxpayers approximately $2 million each year. ADC was then expanded to the Westside and downtown, and saved Los Angeles County taxpayers approximately $5 million per year.

The many trial judges that The Times claim privately express reservations about the quality of legal representation by ADC obviously have never worked with our lawyers, or are those few judges who desire to continue to use the “old-boy” system of appointment of attorneys regardless of the cost to taxpayers.

RICHARD CARL HERZOG

Attorney

Alternate Defense Counsel