THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 22, 1995 TAG: 9504200007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Regarding ``Court-appointed injustice'' (editorial, April 17): I can understand that legal fees paid to court-appointed attorneys do not adequately compensate for the work involved, but I do not agree that this should lead to inadequate care.
Your editorial begins with the statement that ``this country espouses the ideal of equal justice under the law'' and then seems to accept as inevitable that money should be able to buy a different level of care.
Many legal problems can lead to a major financial and lifestyle catastrophe, much like a major illness can affect one's life.
However we would expect and demand quality health care regardless of reimbursement for the providers. Perhaps it is time to look at our legal system in a similar fashion to the way our health-care system is being reconstructed.
We have all heard of the large settlements and legal fees derived from some of the major legal cases of recent times. Instead of directing all of these large sums to the specific lawyers involved, some of this money should be pooled to provide quality legal care for all those involved in our court system.
And perhaps all lawyers with privileges to practice in a given court should be required to accept all court-appointed cases directed to them at whatever fee system evolves from the pooled settlement funds.
Certainly above all else we should not have to accept substandard care because of the money involved if we are truly believers of the equal-justice ideal.
If all this sounds far-fetched and unworkable, do a quick comparison with the way your doctors and hospitals are being paid for your care. Whether you are a Medicare recipient or a wealthy insurance-carrying patient, our system demands and provides quality care. When we enter a courtroom with its similar potential to affect our lives we should expect the same.
PAUL WERBIN
Norfolk, April 19, 1995
pablo99(AT)aol.com by CNB