Georgia Public defenders in YSL’s almost two-year case are now complaining about underwhelming pay received for work that they believe is worth greater compensation.
The legal reps appointed by the public defenders council to represent three of the 14 defendants in the RICO case, have now argued that the compensation they receive needs to be revised given the complex workload and high-profile nature of the case involving Young Thug. The trial began on January 9 and is expected to go on for at least six months.
Angela D’Williams, an attorney for YSL’s Rodalius Ryan, submitted a motion asking to be withdrawn from the case because of her profit being “egregiously low for the amount of work and attention this trial requires.”
Attorneys Justin Hill and Suri Chadha Jimenez, who also represent YSL defendants, have also expressed similar sentiments.
Reportedly, Hill signed on to the case for $7,500 and since then his compensation has been doubled due to the lengthiness of the trial. Learning that the trial could last even longer, Hill now wants pay that will match-up to the time he’ll spend on this case. The defense attorneys are reportedly being paid $15,000 each to represent their clients throughout the trial, despite its duration.
“For at least a year’s worth of full-time work, that’s essentially less than minimum wage…to be honest, I could make more money working at Chick-fil-A as a cashier,” Hill told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hill, who represents YSL’s Damone Blalock, has expressed that the infamous case is keeping him from working on other cases, and forcing him to work all-nighters and weekend hours.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Georgia Public Defender Council have requested a pay raise and were denied.
If public defenders decide to withdraw from the high-stakes case now, it could be detrimental to their clients, who are putting their trust and hopes into their legal reps.