Municipal Court of the Township of Vernon
Reduced Rate Attorney Program (R.R.A.P.)

The reduced rate attorney program, known as R.R.A.P., was established to expand the number of cases and defendants who consult with and/or are represented by qualified legal counsel in municipal court proceedings. This program was created in 1988 by Judge Edward Dunne for the Roxbury Township Municipal Court, and was approved by Assignment Judge Reginald Stanton on August 12, 1988.

It is designed specifically for those defendants who are not necessarily "indigent," as defined by Federal and local guidelines, but who, nonetheless, would have significant difficulty and have to make great personal sacrifice in order to obtain legal advice. A graduated income standard is used for varying degrees of income and dependency needs. Frequently, defendants not qualifying for an assigned attorney do qualify for participation in the R.R.A.P. program.

Each defendant who faces the likelihood of a consequence of magnitude is advised of his/her right to counsel and to the assignment of counsel, if indigent. The defendant is required to complete a 5A Form. From the 5A form, the Judge determines whether the defendant is indigent and eligible for assigned counsel or whether the defendant is eligible for participation in R.R.A.P. according to the income standards set for the program.

Once the defendant is found to be qualified for R.R.A.P., he/she signs and agreement for participation in the program. By signing the form, the defendant agrees to the conditions of the court program and understands that if he/she does not cooperate with the attorney or fails to pay for each stage of the proceedings in advance, involvement in the program may be terminated.

Interested attorneys also sign a membership agreement with the Court, acknowledging the fee schedule involved, the eligibility requirements of the defendants, and their professional status. Effort is made to assign an attorney several cases for a single court session in order that the attorney might more efficiently represent the clients while maximizing the profitability from reduced fee participants.

In general, the fees are meant to be reasonable and within the ability of those qualified to pay. The criteria used to determine the poverty level was provided by the Morris County Welfare Board. The level of participation in the program is determined based on a factor, ranging from two times the poverty level for an individual, to one and a half times the poverty level for a large family. Services are provided at reduced rates based on cooperation and schedule of matters between the court and reduced rate attorneys. As an example, a defendant would be required to pay $75.00 for pretrial work of the attorney; $100.00 for an appearance with a guilty plea; $200.00 for an appearance with a contested trial.