I was a public defender for almost ten years. I know what it’s like to struggle under a mammoth caseload. [And what do I mean by mammoth? In my early days, when I was in a misdemeanor courtroom, my caseload hovered near 400 active files. I had between 25 and 35 cases set for trial each week. That felt mammoth. If your situation is even worse, I feel for you. I really do.] Obviously, large caseloads are not ideal, but there are some things that you can do to tame them.
The first important thing to recognize is that there are two aspects to managing a caseload. The first is the global aspect; you have to keep control over all of your files. You have to know where they are, and you have to develop a system that ensures that you don’t miss deadlines on any of them. I call this my macro-management system.
Second, you have to make sure that the work gets done on the individual files. The micro-management system makes sure that you identify the files that require extra work. By combining it with the macro-management system, you ensure that the file is ready for the next court date.
Do not underestimate the importance of caseload management. You can’t be an effective defense attorney if you’re constantly trying to do things at the last minute. Your work will be rushed and the quality will suffer.
By adopting some kind of a system, you increase the chance that you’ll spot issues with sufficient time to address them properly. This will save you lots of stress. Trust me.
Finally, by no means is this system the only one. It’s just what’s worked for me. The important thing is not necessarily to adopt this system. The important thing is to recognize that you need a system of caseload management. Use whatever works for you.