Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Raise For Bar Advocates, But Some Say They Won't Budge

CBS Boston

August 1, 2025

Massachusetts lawmakers in the House and Senate passed a bill raising wages for bar advocates. Bar advocates are contracted by the state to represent defendants who cannot afford a lawyer, and some have stopped their work since Memorial Day, demanding better wages.

The deal would raise bar advocate wages by $10 an hour starting immediately with a promise to raise their wages another $10 an hour next fiscal year. Currently, bar advocates in Massachusetts make $65 an hour, compared to more than $100 an hour for advocates in other New England states.

A group of advocates gathered at the State House Thursday to protest the deal, which they say, was constructed in a back room without their input.

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