R.R. v. State

R.R. appeals the order establishing $1000 as the amount of the public defender lien for legal services rendered.1 The court established that amount in accordance with section 27.5304(3), Florida Statutes, which sets $1000 as the maximum fee for court-appointed counsel in juvenile cases. R.R. contends, and we think rightly so, that because no inquiry was made as to the attorney’s hourly rate or amount of time spent on the case, the lien is improper.

The Legislature has bestowed upon the courts the responsibility to determine the value of services rendered by a public defender to a criminal…