June 26, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Defense Attorneys For Juvenile Offenders Failing To Connect With Social Services

Attorney HammerDefense attorneys paid to represent juvenile offenders in Los Angeles County are failing to connect them to social services that could help turn their lives around, according to a long-awaited report made public today.

Public defenders are better at linking youth to services than outside or “panel” attorneys assigned to about one-quarter of county cases. But overall, the system has failed to evolve to meet modern expectations of juvenile justice, concluded the report by the Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at UC Berkeley School of Law.

Panel lawyers connect just one in 100 youths they represent to a social worker after their case is resolved, according to the researchers. Public defenders make that link for about one-third of their clients.

Defense attorneys working on behalf of juvenile offenders “must advocate for their clients’ broader ‘care, treatment and guidance’ both before and after disposition of the criminal charges,” according to the report.

Making sure clients receive mental health, substance abuse, educational and developmental evaluations and treatment is “both ethically and legally required,” researchers said, adding that it is also “smart.” Youth receiving those kind of “wraparound” services are better able to break free of the cycle of crime and incarceration.

Part of the problem is that outside attorneys are paid a flat, one-time fee per case, based on a compensation system designed in the 1990s.

That system has been widely criticized. For at least a decade, the State Bar has said flat-fee contracts should not be used, according to county Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai.

UC Berkeley researchers found that Los Angeles County is the only county in the state that uses flat-fee contracts, doesn’t pay for investigators to assist panel attorneys and has no central mechanism to oversee the quality of outside representation.

Though outside attorneys handle a higher proportion of juveniles who end up being tried as adults, they spend, on average, about half as much time defending their clients. They filed fewer motions, consulted fewer experts and provided less documentation to support clients than public defenders.

“The quality of a defendant’s representation should not be a function of random attorney assignment,” the report stated.

The Board of Supervisors called for the report more than two years ago.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas previewed a motion, co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, aimed at improving legal representation for indigent juvenile clients.

The motion, which Ridley-Thomas said addresses “an area that needs our urgent attention,” is expected to be heard next week.

Related Posts

Santa Monica Police Arrest Shooting Suspect After Officer Ambushed Near Downtown Mall

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Man Linked to Waymo Vehicle Gunfire Taken Into Custody Following Tense Manhunt The suspect wanted in connection with a shooting...

Brentwood Weekend Specials: $9 Wine & Street Tacos, Blush-Inspired Lattes & Beauty Swag

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Street Tacos and Wine Meets Self-Care in Brentwood and Santa Monica Brentwood Fine Wines will welcome back local culinary favorite...

Michelin Stars Shine Bright on LA: Somni West Hollywood and Providence Earn Top Honors

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Two Restaurants in Los Angeles Receive Three Stars as Michelin Guide Celebrates Bold Flavors The MICHELIN Guide California 2025 celebrated...

Cherished Culver City Ice Cream Vendor Abducted in Broad Daylight

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano’s Disappearance Led To Grassroots Action Ambrocio Lozano, also known in the neighborhood as Enrique, was abducted around...

Brentwood Home by Landry Design Group Wins Top National Architecture Award

June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Landry Design Group Wins Gold Nugget Awards for Brentwood, Crestwood Projects Landry Design Group (LDG) earned two top honors at...

(Video) WISE & Healthy Aging Helps Loved Ones Boost Their Quality of Life

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs Advance the Dignity of Life for Older Adults See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs...

Masked Federal Agents Detain Iranian Asylum Seeker and Wife in Westwood

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

31-Year-Old Woman was Hospitalized After Possible Medical Emergency On Tuesday, June 24, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., near the...

Los Angeles Leaders Push to Ban Masks for Federal Agents Amid Immigration Raids

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Concerns Grow Over Anonymous ICE and CBP Officers in Los Angeles   A growing coalition of California lawmakers and local leaders...

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

LAPD Sergeant Killed Assisting Crash Victims on 405 Freeway in Brentwood

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Tragic Early-Morning Collision Claims Two Lives, Including Veteran Sergeant Two people, including an LAPD sergeant, were killed early Monday in...

Recent Homebuyer Down Payments Slip for First Time in Nearly Two Years

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

April’s Median Down Payment Fell as Buyers Lean Toward Lower-Cost Homes The median down payment made by U.S. homebuyers dropped...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...