{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-211d-5","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211D, § 5","heading":"Appointment or assignment of counsel","body":"Section 5. Said committee shall establish, supervise and maintain a system for the appointment or assignment of counsel at any stage of a proceeding, either criminal or noncriminal in nature, provided, however, that the laws of the commonwealth or the rules of the supreme judicial court require that a person in such proceeding be represented by counsel; and, provided further, that such person is unable to obtain counsel by reason of his indigency. The committee may also establish a system for the provision of counsel in any pre-arraignment procedure. A justice or associate justice shall assign a case to the committee, as hereafter provided, after receiving from the probation officer a written report containing the probation officer's opinion as to the defendant's ability to pay for counsel, based on the standards and procedures provided for in section two.","path":["Part III","Title I","Chapter 211D"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleI/Chapter211D/Section5","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:24:42Z","sha256":"4ba2245ec4037fe46300d618564e4cbf8440e5799805f5c2f90ed005c8b91c21","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-211d-4","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-211d-6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}