The Legal Intelligencer's P.J. D'Annunzio reports that Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter neither signed nor veteoed legislation that will establish City Council oversight over large contracts for a private law firm to represent criminal defendants and family-court litigants too poor to hire their own lawyers. No action by the mayor means that the bill becomes law.
Quality-control and financial audts will be triggered for large contracts where the Defender Association of Philadelphia or other non-profits can't represent clients due to conflicts.
Other legislation, which would give council authority to review contracts entered for less than one year, will require voter approval.
Nutter is trying to institute a private law firm to handle cases in an effort to improve the quality of legal representation, but there have been many objections, including from City Councilman Denny O'Brien and the lawyers currently doing that work.
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