The Montroy Series: Limiting Public Defense Workloads

Controlling public defense workloads is required by the Rules of Professional Conduct because it is critical to ensuring competent and diligent representation. The need to monitor and limit workloads raises a number of difficult to answer questions. In this session, we will try to explore and answer some of these questions, which include: How many cases is too many cases? How do you figure out those limits? Are the limits different by lawyer, by case type, by office? How do you address part-time public defense caseloads? To register for the Zoom Meeting, click here. 1 PDC credit, ISB credit pending.

Malia Brink currently serves as Senior Policy Attorney at the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at SMU Law School. She previously served as Counsel for Indigent Defense for the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense.  During her tenure at the ABA, Ms. Brink was Deputy Director of several public defense workload projects, including studies in Oregon and New Mexico, as well as the effort to establish national workload standards for adult criminal cases.