Nurmi was working for the public defenders office. The average salary there is $47,000-$67,000 per year.
That's quite a big difference. He JUST opened his own office in the middle of defending Jodi, wanted to quit so he could pursue it (not very ethical or professional.) If I recall correctly, he was offered a lower hourly rate to stay on the case and he turned it down and demanded more. Jodi had already lost one attorney so the state gave into Nurmi to keep him on the case.
(I think he KNEW he could do this and that was his plan all along. He is now getting paid almost 10 times what he was getting paid to do the same exact job. This is ludicrous.)
His new law firm defends people being accused of sexual crimes. There is no way he would gross nearly half a million dollars a year the first year in a new practice (and most likely would never gross that much.) He is taking the state for a ride and laughing all the way to he bank.
ETA:
http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Attor...ounty,-AZ.html
Average attorney salary for Maricopa county is $59,000 per year.
According to this site the average deputy district attorney salary is only $66,000 per year.
I know some attorneys make much more. But, those are
usually not those practicing criminal law...and most definitely not those working for the state.
ETA (again): I did some more searching. The highest salary I could find for a district attorney was $148,843. HUGE difference from what Nurmi is raking in. Poor Martinez. This has got to be so insulting knowing Nurmi is making 10 times what he should be making to defend the likes of Jodi.