A. In addition to the methods of providing counsel set out in subsections C and D of Section 1355.6 of this title, the Board shall have the authority to award contracts to provide noncapital trial representation to indigent criminal defendants and indigent juveniles in cases for which the System must provide representation, including, but not limited to, renewing any existing contract or contracts for the next fiscal year or soliciting new offers to contract, whichever the Board determines to be in the best interests of the state, the System and the clients represented by the System. Any such contract shall be awarded at such time as the Board may deem necessary.
B. For those counties in which a prior fiscal year contract is not renewed for the succeeding fiscal year or in which the Board elects to solicit new offers to contract, the Executive Director shall cause notice to be published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal that offers to contract will be accepted to provide indigent noncapital trial services. The notice required by this subsection shall include the following:
1. The date, time and place where offers to contract will be opened;
2. The qualifications required of those desiring to make an offer to contract;
3. The period covered by the contract; and
4. A general description of the services required.
C. Only members in good standing of the Oklahoma Bar Association shall be eligible to submit offers to contract pursuant to this section. In addition, all offers to contract must be accompanied by a written statement of the manner in which representation shall be made available as needed.
D. 1. The Board shall accept the best offer or offers, as determined by the Board, from a qualified attorney or attorneys. In determining whether an offer is the best offer, the Board shall take into consideration, among other factors, the following:
2. The System shall maintain an original of each offer to contract.
3. Every contract awarded pursuant to the provisions of this subsection which is signed by more than one attorney shall provide that every attorney signing such contract shall be jointly and severally liable for the full performance of all services to be delivered pursuant to such contract.
4. Every contract awarded pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall provide that every attorney who will be performing services pursuant to the contract shall carry professional liability insurance in an amount satisfactory to the Board. No contract shall be effective until proof of such insurance is provided to the System.
5. In the event that only one qualified offer is received, the Board may accept the offer, make one or more counteroffers, readvertise or provide representation as otherwise authorized by the Indigent Defense Act. In the event that more than one qualified offer is received for a county or counties, the Board may accept one or more of the offers, make one or more counteroffers to one or more of the offers received, readvertise if the Board determines that awarding a contract or contracts on the offers received would not be in the best interest of the System or the clients represented by the System, or provide representation as otherwise authorized by the Indigent Defense Act. For purposes of discussing negotiating strategies in connection with making one or more counteroffers to one or more offers received, the Board may hold one or more executive sessions as necessary; provided, that any vote or action on offers received and counteroffers made, if any, shall be taken in public meeting with the vote of each member publicly cast and recorded.
6. In the event that no qualified offers to contract are received, the Board may readvertise or direct the Executive Director to assign cases from the relevant counties to private attorneys selected from a list of qualified attorneys who have agreed to accept assignments of such cases, who have provided proof of professional liability insurance coverage, and who meet the qualifications established by the System for such assignments. Compensation for such attorneys shall be as provided in subsection F of this section.
7. In the event that no qualified offers are received, and in lieu of assigning cases to private attorneys whose names are on a list of qualified attorneys pursuant to paragraph 6 of this subsection, the Board may, pursuant to subsection D of Section 1355.6 or Section 1355.9 of this title, provide for representation for indigent criminal defendants and indigent juveniles by attorneys employed by the System.
8. In no event shall an attorney, who has not voluntarily agreed to provide representation to indigent criminal defendants and indigent juveniles, be appointed to represent an indigent person.
E. If a fiscal year contract is terminated before the end of the fiscal year, the Executive Director shall not be required to solicit offers to contract, but may instead award one or more replacement contracts for the affected county or counties to a qualified attorney or attorneys to represent persons in cases for which the System is obligated to provide counsel, provided that such replacement contract or contracts shall not be renewable for the next fiscal year.
F. 1. Except as provided in paragraph 3 of this subsection, total compensation for a case which is not covered by a fiscal year noncapital trial contract awarded or renewed pursuant to subsection A of this section shall not exceed Eight Hundred Dollars ($800.00) in the following cases:
2. Except as provided in paragraph 3 of this subsection, total compensation for a case which is not covered by a fiscal year noncapital trial contract awarded pursuant to this section shall not exceed Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($3,500.00) in felony cases.
3. The maximum statutory fees established in this subsection may be exceeded only upon a determination made by the Executive Director and approved by the Board that the case is an exceptional one which requires an extraordinary amount of time to litigate, and that the request for extraordinary attorney fees is reasonable.
G. 1. Attorneys paid for indigent defense pursuant to a fiscal year noncapital trial contract awarded or renewed pursuant to this section shall be paid an annual fee in twelve monthly installments each equaling seven and one-half percent (7.5%) of the total value of the contract, or as otherwise provided by contract.
2. Attorneys paid for indigent defense pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection shall receive the balance of ten percent (10%) of the total value of the contract upon completion of all felony and misdemeanor matters covered by the contract. A matter is completed for purposes of this paragraph when no additional services are required under the contract. The Board, upon recommendation of the Executive Director, may, however, authorize partial payments on a quarterly basis of the amount retained as reasonable compensation for those matters which were completed during the prior quarter. The system may transfer the amount retained from the total value of the contract pursuant to this subsection to the Contract Retention Revolving Fund created by Section 1369 of this title.
H. To receive payment in a case assigned pursuant to subsection C of Section 1355.6 of this title, an attorney must submit a claim in accordance with the provisions of the Indigent Defense Act.
I. Attorneys providing services pursuant to a contract with the System, shall provide periodic status reports on all such cases, as often as deemed necessary by the System.
J. Any attorney providing services pursuant to a contract with the System shall continue to provide representation at the trial level in each case assigned to the attorney during the contract period until the trial court ceases to retain jurisdiction; provided, the court shall allow an attorney to withdraw from a case only after the attorney has made proper application to withdraw from the case and the application has been approved by the Executive Director.
K. In all cases in which legal representation by the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System is not authorized by other provisions of the Indigent Defense Act and in which indigents are entitled to legal representation by the Constitution and laws of this state, the court shall appoint legal representation, from a list of qualified volunteer attorneys who provide proof of professional liability insurance coverage, and direct to be paid from the local court fund a reasonable and just compensation not to exceed Eight Hundred Dollars ($800.00) to the attorney or attorneys for services as they may render. The compensation limit may be exceeded if the court finds that the case required an extraordinary amount of time to litigate.
Added by Laws 1991, c. 238, § 9, eff. July 1, 1992. Amended by Laws 1992, c. 303, § 8, eff. July 1, 1992; Laws 1992, c. 357, § 8, eff. July 1, 1992; Laws 1993, c. 298, § 7, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 328, § 5, eff. July 1, 1994; Laws 1996, c. 301, § 6, eff. June 1, 1996; Laws 1997, c. 326, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1997; Laws 1998, c. 201, § 2, emerg. eff. May 11, 1998; Laws 2001, c. 210, § 9, eff. July 1, 2001.