The article goes on to discuss hourly rates for appointed attorneys. It is disgraceful. I get paid nearly twice as much when I am appointed as a Guadian ad litem as when I take a SPD case. Put simply, I and many of my colleagues cannot afford to work at such low rates. Many of us do anyway in order to provide defense for the indigent. I fear that we put the rights of the accused in jeopardy by placing attorneys in untenable positions. If we are a country that values due process, we must ensure the right to counsel.