A big concern among bar members is whether Massachusetts salaries discourage many talented lawyers from seeking working in the public sector and force existing public defenders to wonder “how they’re going to pay their rent this week,” said Douglas Sheff, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

“How much are we going to invest in making sure people are properly prosecuted and defended?” said Sheff. “We owe it to ourselves to use this commission to make it right.”

The task force includes representatives from the legal and business communities as well as former elected officials and judges.

Sheff said he hopes the findings of the report, including the comparison with other states of salaries paid to prosecutors and public defenders in Massachusetts, spurs state legislators to take action.