La. Admin. Code tit. 22 § XV-1703
Board - the Louisiana Public Defender Board.
Board Staff - one or more members of the executive staff of the Board as set forth in R.S. 15:150 assigned by the board or the state public defender to perform the duties set forth herein.
Case - case as defined in R.S. 15:174.C.
Caseload - the number of cases handled by a public defender service provider. The caseload of a district is the sum of all public defender service providers' caseloads in that district.
District - the judicial district in which a district defender supervises service providers and enforces standards and guidelines.
District Defender - an attorney under contract with the board to supervise public defense service providers and enforce standards and guidelines within a judicial district or multiple judicial districts. Also known as a district public defender or chief indigent defender.
District Indigent Defender Fund - the fund provided for in R.S. 15:168.
Fiscal Crisis - that a district indigent defender fund is unable to support its expenditures with revenues received from all sources and any accrued fund balance. Because a district indigent defender fund may not expend amounts in excess of revenues and accrued fund balance, a district facing a fiscal crisis must restrict public defense services to cut back on or slow the growth of expenditures. Services should be restricted in the manner that the board and the affected district defender determine to be the least harmful to the continuation of public defense services within the district.
Notice - written notice given as provided for herein.:
a. between the district defender and the board or board staff. Notice between a district defender and the board or board staff, as required in this protocol, may be given by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail. If notice is given by certified or registered mail, notice shall be effective upon receipt by the addressee. If notice is given by mail that is not sent certified or registered, by facsimile transmission, or by electronic mail, notice shall be effective only after the sending party confirms telephonically with the receiving party that all pages, including attachments, were received by the receiving party;
b. from the district defender to the court. Notice from a district defender to the court, as required in this protocol, shall be given by filing notice with the affected district's clerks(s) of court and hand-delivering copies to the offices of the chief judge and the district attorney of the affected district.;
c. from the district defender to others. Notice from a district defender to persons not otherwise specified may be given by hand-delivery or by certified or registered mail; notice of shall be effective upon hand-delivery or deposit into the U.S. mail.
Public Defender Service Provider - an attorney who provides legal services to indigent persons in criminal proceedings in which the right to counsel attaches under the United States and Louisiana constitutions as a district employee or as an independent contractor. Unless the context or surrounding circumstances clearly indicate otherwise, a public defender service provider includes a district defender.
Rules of Professional Conduct - the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct.
State Public Defender - the person employed by the board pursuant to R.S. 15:152.
Workload - a public defender service provider's caseload, including appointed and other work, adjusted by factors such as case complexity, support services, and an attorney's nonrepresentational duties. Non-caseload factors also include the experience level of the public defense service provider, waits in courtrooms for judicial priority afforded private-lawyer cases, training functions required of senior lawyers to junior lawyers, travel time to and from jails and prisons where clients are incarcerated, timeliness and ease of access to incarcerated clients, and the number of non-English speaking clients. A workload is excessive when it impairs the ability of a public defense service provider to meet the ethical obligations imposed by the Rules of Professional Conduct. The workload of a district is the sum of all public defender service providers' workloads in that district. The workload of a district is excessive when all non-supervisory public defense service providers within that district have excessive workloads.
La. Admin. Code tit. 22, § XV-1703