COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEY

Role in the System

Court-appointed attorneys are not your defenders. They are extensions of the same court that assigned them. Their paycheck comes from contracts with the county or state, not you. Their loyalty is to keeping dockets moving, not protecting your rights. They are trained to push compliance, plea deals, and silence, while discouraging families from fighting back.

Core Functions

Urge parents to “just comply” rather than challenge the system.

Neglect filings and motions that could expose CPS misconduct.

Push plea deals to avoid contested hearings, saving the court time and money.

Advise against appeals, even when violations are obvious.

Act as “case managers in suits,” steering parents into services that generate revenue.

Education

Licensed attorneys, but often with little to no specialization in child welfare or constitutional rights.

Selected through state/county contracts, not based on skill or proven advocacy.

Some carry heavy caseloads (30–60+ families at once), making individual defense impossible.

Average Salary

$50,000 – $70,000 per year, depending on contract and caseload.

Paid flat fees or by appointment, incentivizing quick case turnover rather than long fights.

Impact on Families

Court-appointed attorneys are the system’s firewall. They neutralize your resistance by posing as your ally while working for the state. Their inaction is strategic, every missed objection, every late filing, every ignored motion stacks the deck against you. Parents lose their children not because their case was unwinnable, but because their so-called “defender” was paid to keep the machine running. For families, this means betrayal in its purest form: your supposed advocate is really the system’s handler, ensuring you comply while your rights quietly disappear.