ATLANTA – State Representative Jordan Ridley (R-Woodstock) recently introduced House Bill 35, legislation that would revise compensation for private attorneys appointed to act as District Attorney Pro Tempore.
“This legislation would further the House’s commitment to keeping the citizens of Georgia safe,” said Rep. Ridley. “The bill would help guarantee that private attorneys would be better compensated and encouraged to serve in the situation of an absent or disqualified district attorney. When police arrest citizens, we must ensure that we have prosecutors who can handle their cases in a timely fashion and thus make sure the guilty are convicted.”
HB 35 would update the compensation for attorneys serving as a substitute for an absent or disqualified district attorney. Under this bill, these private attorneys would receive either $250 an hour for each certified hour worked, or they would receive 90 percent of the monthly salary of the district attorney. The private attorney would also be authorized to utilize the services of private counsel, paralegals or legal clerks, who would receive a monthly compensation of up to $110 per hour for each hour worked. Compensation would be determined and certified by the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of the State of Georgia.
The full text of HB 35 may be found here.
Representative Jordan Ridley represents the citizens of District 22, which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Code Revision Committee and Secretary of the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee. He also serves on the Game, Fish and Parks and Public Safety and Homeland Security committees.
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