Invercargill has only three lawyers on the duty solicitor roster willing to work for $99 an hour on weekdays and $121 an hour on weekends and public holidays.
Otago Law Society president Dunedin barrister Brian Kilkelly said he did not yet know what had "gone wrong" in Invercargill, but it was true most senior lawyers would be better off financially avoiding duty solicitor work.
"As we all know, they would be on considerably higher hourly rates by just working in their offices and working for their clients."
Southland Law Society president Paul Adams said this week it was a "policy matter" for each law firm as to whether it wanted somebody to be its duty solicitor.
He believed the problem was the rate of pay for duty solicitors.
The Southland society would discuss the matter early next month.
Mr Kilkelly continued to do duty solicitor work in Dunedin "as a service" and because he enjoyed criminal court work.
He was one of the Dunedin lawyers who had indicated to the Legal Services Agency that he was willing to work in Invercargill.
Mr Kilkelly said Dunedin had "quite a full roster" of up to 35 people willing to act as duty solicitors.
While on duty at court, a duty solicitor might see anywhere between five and 50 clients in a day.
Mr Kilkelly believed a pay increase last year was probably the first since he joined the roster 20 years ago.
Legal Services Agency senior communications adviser Bron-wyn Bannister said the inclusion of Dunedin lawyers on the Invercargill roster would be "ongoing" but would remain under review.
Lawyers who travel from Dunedin to Invercargill will be reimbursed for travel time at a rate of between $55 and $77 an hour.
Otago Daily Times calculations suggest a Dunedin lawyer's five-hour stint as duty solicitor in the Invercargill court could cost Legal Services between $495 and $605 with an additional cost of between $275 and $385 for travel.
