§ 6-1704.Appointment of counsel in juvenile cases.

Section 6-1704 mirrors the district courts’ approach to appointed-counsel fees, adapted for juvenile court. Every judicial district has to have a transparent process for appointing counsel under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-272, and the separate juvenile court judges must adopt a local rule, made public, covering how that process works. That local rule has to address, at minimum, a maintained list of licensed attorneys expected to accept juvenile appointments and how to obtain that list, the district’s specific appointment process under the statute, and how an attorney gets added to or removed from the list. The rule adopting this appointment process is itself governed by Section 6-1702, the general rule on local rules and administrative orders.

On the fee side, before a court allows any claim by appointed counsel in a juvenile matter, the attorney has to submit a written application, certified true and correct, itemizing time and expenses (a general itemization suffices for interim applications), and serve it on the county attorney. The application also has to disclose whether the attorney has received, or has a contract for, compensation from the client or anyone on the client’s behalf, so the proper credit can be applied. The application goes to the clerk, and if a hearing is needed, the court sets its time and date.