Milwaukee County sets limit on time to seek payment

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Attorneys who accept court appointments in Milwaukee County will have to submit their requests for reimbursement within 90 days of completing the case under a new rule issued Nov. 16 by Chief Judge Jeffrey A. Kremers.

Currently, Kremers said, there is no uniformity in the treatment of requests for reimbursement.

In children’s court, payments “should” be submitted within 90 days, but Kremers said the rule has been ignored by attorneys and courts, with some requests coming in two to three years after the matter has been completed.

Curiously, in criminal courts, there has been no rule at all, yet late requests for payments haven’t been as much of a problem.

Under the order, requests in all courts will be treated uniformly.

Requests should first be submitted to the Chief Judge’s office for review, accompanied by the order of appointment, an itemized statement and a supporting affidavit. Untimely requests will be denied unless the Chief Judge is satisfied that there is good cause for the delay.

Requests will then be forwarded to the acting judge in the case for substantive review.

For cases that may have already terminated, attorneys will have until March 31 to request payment.

The order provides, “The request must be submitted on or before March 31, 2010 or within 90 days of the last billable event, whichever is later. A billable event is defined as the performance of some task for which counsel seeks to be paid.”