Information for Court Appointed Attorneys
Special Notices:
The process for payment of counsel vouchers may take four weeks or more
given the current staffing shortages in the courts. We appreciate
your patience as we work to process these as quickly as possible.
It has come to our attention that some attorneys are re-submitting
vouchers, already in process for payment. Before re-submitting a
voucher we ask that you please contact either the Court, or Ravi
Jackson at the Administrative Office of the Courts at (207) 822-0704 ,
to verify if the voucher has been received or is in process for payment.
Forms:
Click on the links to get these forms. Use the blank forms if you want to
print, then fill out by hand. Use the interactive forms if you want
to fill out on line, then print your completed forms.
Attorney Payment Voucher Instructions:
To ensure prompt and accurate payment, it is important for you to
fill out all information requested on the voucher form.
Failure to do so will require the
clerk's office to return the voucher to you for completion.
1. All vouchers must be submitted using the current approved voucher
form (CR-033,rev.07/09),
must comply with all instructions on the form, and must be legible.
2. All vouchers must be submitted within 90 days of disposition of
the case. Vouchers submitted more than 90 days after disposition,
or completion of a stage of a child
protection case, will not be paid. "Disposition" of a case shall
be at the following times:
- entry of judgment (sentencing, acquittal, dismissal, or filing);
- upon issuance of a warrant of arrest for failure to appear;
- upon granting of leave to withdraw;
- upon decision of any post-trial motions;
- upon completion of the services the attorney was assigned to provide
(mental health hearings, "lawyer of the day", bail hearings,
etc.); or,
- specific authorization of the court to submit an interim billing;
- in child protective cases, a separate voucher must be submitted at
the end of each stage. each stage of a child protection case
shall be: order after summary preliminary hearing or agreement; order
after jeopardy hearing; order after each judicial review; order after
a cease reunification hearing; order after permanency hearing; order
after TPR hearing; law court appeal.
3. All vouchers must be filed in the court of disposition. Cases transferred
to the superior court shall be included in the voucher submitted
to the superior court at
disposition of the case.
4. All vouchers must have attached an itemized statement of time
spent for services in representation of your client.
5. All vouchers must have attached a separate list of itemized out-of-pocket
expenses. allowable out-of-pocket expenses are defined in Administrative
Order, JB-05-5 (a. 7-08).
6. All vouchers including charges for representation that exceed
the maximum fee schedules set out in Administrative
Order, JB-05-5 (a. 7-08), must include an explanation of reasons
for exceeding the maximum fee allowed.
7. Expenses incurred for service providers must be submitted separately.
8. Witness fees, mileage and costs of service should not be included,
see M.R.Crim. p. 17(b).
9. All extraordinary expenses authorized by the court shall be itemized
by counsel and receipts or statements must be attached to this voucher.
10. All vouchers must include the attorney's bar registration number.
11. The clerk's office may not maintain a copy of your approved voucher.
Any questions regarding payment of your voucher should be directed
to the Administrative Office of the Courts at 822-0772. Attorneys should
allow ample time (30 days from date voucher is submitted to clerk's
office) before making inquiries.
