Greene County Outsources Court Cases
FairCityNews.com | Jul 27, 2010 | Comments 0
Springfield MO—The overwhelming caseload for Greene County attorneys looks to be tamed by a much needed solution; starting August 15th, excess court cases will be outsourced to attorneys in India and Pakistan. Video teleconferencing in Greene County courtrooms will allow remote debating to conduct trails. Attorneys from foreign countries will be granted licenses to practice law in Missouri despite never having studied here, provided they pass the required exams by August 1st. The county hopes to decrease the current caseload and reap the benefits by saving approximately 85% of the costs of using local public defenders and prosecutors.
“This is a great deal for everyone,” cited Judd Russell a spokesman for the Missouri State public defenders office. “With the technology we have today, with real time communication, I’m surprised we haven’t thought of using this before. It is a win-win situation for our lawyers because they will not be putting their licenses at risk of be subject to malpractice by taking on more cases than they can handle.”
Russell also added, “Local judges will not have to appoint private attorneys to take cases against their will thus making them concerned with their own caseload.”
With the projected savings incurred with outsourcing, the budget director’s office is looking at reducing the current staff of 20 attorneys to 3 and funding the Springfield police and firemen pension.
“We’re in a global market now, with global crime. Why not use global prosecutors and public defenders to hear our American legal squabbles?” said Russell.
Filed Under: Economy