Current through 2024-50, December 11, 2024
Section 649-301-1 - DEFINITIONS1. Court-Assigned Counsel. "Court-Assigned Counsel" means private counsel licensed to practice law in Maine, designated eligible to receive an assignment to a particular case, and initially assigned by a Court to represent a particular client in a particular matter. For the purposes of this rule, "Court-Assigned Counsel" does not include any employee of PDS.2. Commission-Assigned Counsel. "Commission-Assigned Counsel" means private counsel licensed to practice in Maine, designated eligible to be assigned to provide a particular service or to represent a particular client in a particular matter, and assigned by PDS to provide that service or represent a client. For the purposes of this rule, "Commission-Assigned Counsel" does not include any employee of PDS.3. Counsel. As used in this Chapter "Counsel" means a Court-Assigned Counsel or Commission-Assigned Counsel, or both.4. PDS or Commission. "PDS" or "Commission" means the Commissioners of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services.5. Executive Director. "Executive Director" means the Executive Director of PDS or the Executive Director's decision-making designee.6. Commission-Employed Counsel. "Commission-Employed Counsel" means counsel employed by the Commission to provide direct representation to indigent persons.7. Home Court. "Home Court" means the physical location of the court in closest proximity to Counsel's office or reasonably accessible private meeting space as contemplated by 94-649 C.M.R. ch. 2 § 3. 8. Commission Liaison. "Commission Liaison" means the attorney who performs services for clients as part of the specialty court team but who has not otherwise been appointed to represent a specific client in a specific docket.9. Interim Voucher. "Interim Voucher" means any voucher submitted in a case before Counsel's professional responsibility in a matter ends.10. Particular Client Assignment. "Particular Client Assignment" means an assignment of Counsel to represent a particular client in a particular matter either by PDS or the Court under Rule 44 of the Maine Rules of Unified Criminal Procedure or Rule 88 of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. For the purpose of this rule a "particular matter" is a matter described by a particular docket number in a Court.11. Days. "Days" means calendar days.12. Paralegal. "Paralegal" means a person, qualified by education, training, or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.13. Paralegal Services. "Paralegal Services" means specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.14. Secretarial Services. "Secretarial Services" means staff support services other than Paralegal Services.15. Resource Counsel. "Resource Counsel" means counsel designated eligible to serve as Resource Counsel pursuant to Chapter 3 of the Commission Rules.16. Final Voucher. "Final Voucher" means and includes the voucher required by Section 6 of this Chapter to be submitted within 90 days of a terminal case event.17. Supplemental Voucher. "Supplemental Voucher" means any voucher submitted for work performed by Counsel on behalf of their indigent client after the terminal case event has occurred.18. Case. "Case" means a Particular Client Assignment as defined by this Chapter.94-649 C.M.R. ch. 301, § 1