Court-appointed counsel fees.

Senate Bill 1060, which sets the payment of fees for court-appointed counsel in criminal cases, is unconscionable, and all members of The Florida Bar should be shocked at the maximum fees set for this thankless work.

The recent legislatively set fee schedule provides for $2,500 for nonlife felonies, $3,000 for life felonies and $15,000 for death penalty cases, and requires attorneys who accept these cases to agree not to seek higher fees.

The Innocence Commission recently concluded such fee limitation increases the likelihood of error by trial counsel, thereby increasing the post-conviction caseload.

Former Bar President Hank Coxe noted that "it...