2024 Census of Public Defender Offices

Census of Public Defender Offices

Attachment 1 - 2024 CPDO survey instrument

OMB: 1121-0095

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Attachment 1

OMB No.: 1121-0095 Approval Expires: TBD

U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
(NORC acting as data collection agent)

2024 Census of Public Defender Offices

Name:__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of office:_ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct email:_ ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct phone:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Instructions
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is a census of all publicly funded public defender offices with
at least one (1) W-2 earning attorney that provides direct public defense representation for adults and/or juveniles
who are accused of a crime or delinquency or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence. Data
collected on this form will provide needed information to state and local governments, practitioners, and other
stakeholders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) greatly appreciates your assistance.
1. There are multiple ways to complete and submit this survey. Please select the method most suitable for you:
a. Complete the survey and return via the provided self-addressed stamped envelope.
b. Visit [insert website] and enter your office’s unique PIN provided on the bottom left of this survey.
c. Call (866) 582-4052 and complete the survey by phone.
2. Please answer all questions with reference to the public defender office specified above. If you are the head of
more than one public defender office you should receive multiple solicitations for this survey: we ask that you
fill out one instrument for each office. If you find you need more copies of the survey, please contact the CPDO
team via email at CPDO@norc.org.
3. Answer the questions as accurately as possible given the organization and structure of your office. Estimates
are allowed.
If you have questions or need assistance in completing the survey, please contact the CPDO team via email at
CPDO@norc.org.

Burden Statement
This collection is authorized under 34 U.S.C. § 10132. Your participation is voluntary. BJS will use the information only for
statistical purposes [34 U.S.C. § 10134]. BJS will protect personally identifiable information consistent with the confidentiality
requirements in 34 U.S.C. § 10231 and 28 CFR Part 22. See the BJS Data Protection Guidelines (https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/
xyckuh236/files/media/document/bjs_data_protection_guidelines.pdf).
This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0095 Approval Expires: TBD).
If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary participation in this survey is important,
however, you may decline to answer any or all questions. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated
to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
You can contact the Bureau of Justice Statistics with questions or feedback at askbjs@usdoj.gov; by phone at 202-307-0765; or
by mail: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531.

Screener Questions
The first series of questions will confirm your office’s eligibility for the census. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes

S1. Is your office supported, either partially or fully, by public funds? Funding that comes from federal, state
or local government, often collected through taxes and used toward public goods and services.

S2. Does your office have at least one W-2 earning attorney? A W-2 earning attorney is an attorney who is
formally employed by a company or organization and who receives a W-2 tax form each year to report their
income and taxes withheld.

S3. Does your office provide public defense representation for adult or juvenile clients who are accused
of a crime or delinquency, or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence?

S4. Does your office have a dedicated physical space? A place that some or all staff may use for work.

If you answered ‘No’ to any S1 – S4, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this
census, but we thank you for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened
out in error, please contact cpdo@norc.org or 1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S1 - S4 were ‘Yes’, please continue the survey.
Yes

S5. Is your office a for-profit private law firm?

S6. Does your office provide representation solely using an assigned counsel system? An assigned
counsel system provides representation using private attorneys who are not employed by the office, except
possibly as contractors.

S7. Is your office a tribal defender? A tribal defender provides representation only to defendants in tribal justice
systems.

If you answered ‘Yes’ to any S5 – S7, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this
census, but we thank you for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened
out in error, please contact cpdo@norc.org or 1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S5 – S7 were ‘No’, please continue the survey.

Section A. General Information
A1. What is the geographic jurisdiction served by your public defender office? Mark (X) only one.

n An entire state or United States territory.
2
n Multiple counties or county equivalents, an entire
1

Enter the
judicial district or circuit larger than a single county.  names of the
counties served.
3
n An entire county or county equivalent
HERE. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria
4
n Part of a county (e.g., city or town)  ! STOP
for this survey but we thank you for your time. If you have any
questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened out in error,
please contact cpdo@norc.org or 1-866-582-4052.
5
n Other (please specify)

A2. Is your public defender office the primary office in your jurisdiction? A ‘primary office’ is an office that
is assigned more criminal and juvenile delinquency cases or other court-appointed cases than any other public
defender office. Mark (X) only one.

n Yes
n No

1
2

A3. Is your public defender office a conflict office? A ‘conflict office’ is an office that is assigned cases when
another public defender office has a conflict of interest. Mark (X) only one.

n Yes
n No

1
2

A4. Which best describes your public defender
office? Mark (X) only one.

A9. Do any attorney or non-attorney staff in your
office belong to a labor union with the right to
engage in collective bargaining related to their
public defense work?

n Part of the state or county judicial branch
n Part of the state or county executive branch
3
n A nonprofit organization
4
n Other (please specify)
1
2

n Yes, some attorney and/or non-attorney staff

belong to a labor union
No,
n no attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong
to a labor union  SKIP to A11
3
n I don’t know  SKIP to A11
2

A5. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a state or territory-level body? Mark
(X) only one.
Yes

Funded

Overseen

A10. Which of the following is allowable for your
attorney and/or non-attorney staff regarding
membership with a labor union?

n Attorneys and non-attorneys can belong to the

same labor union.

n Attorneys and non-attorneys can belong to

separate labor unions.
Only
attorneys can belong to a labor union.
n
4
n Only non-attorneys can belong to a labor union.
5
n I don’t know

A6. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a body other than at the state or
territory-level body? Mark (X) only one.
Yes

Funded

Overseen

A11. The reference period for this survey’s
questions about finances is fiscal year (FY)
2024. Please indicate your office’s FY 2024.
Mark (X) only one.

A7. Which of the following best describes the role
of the non-state or territory-level body in the
following decisions? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.

a. Determines
attorney practice
standards for the
office
b. Determines the
total amount
of the office’s
budget
c. Determines
policy priorities
for the office

Has a
Is the final limited (e.g., Has
decision- advisory)
no
maker
role
role

n Calendar year (January 1, 2024-December 31,

2024)
n July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024
3
n Other If other, please indicate the dates below:
2

Month_____ -Day_____ -Year_______
to
Month_____ -Day_____ -Year_______

Don’t
know

USE THIS REFERENCE PERIOD FOR
QUESTIONS THAT ASK ABOUT FY 2024
¢

A12. In FY 2024, how much did your office
spend (total operating expenditures) to
provide criminal public defense services to
defendants? That is, excluding any fixed capital
costs, what were the total office expenditures
for public defense functions during the year?
Exclude building construction costs and major
equipment purchases. If you are unable to provide
the actual dollar amount, please provide your best
estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box.

A8. Who appoints the members of the non-state
or territory-level body? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.
Yes

Don't know

a. Governor

b. State Legislature

c. Supreme Court

d. County Commission

¢
¢

e. Other (please specify)

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES:
$_____________________________ .00

n Estimate
n Don't know  SKIP to A14

1
2

A13. What percentage of the total operating
expenditures entered in A12 came directly from
each of the following sources? If you are unable
to provide the actual percentage, please provide
your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.
Percentage Source

Percentage (%)

A14. Is the primary funding source for your public
defender office an awarded contract? Mark (X)
only one.

n Yes
n No  SKIP to B1

1
2

A15. When your office first won the contract, was
the process competitive? Mark (X) only one.

Est

a. State/U.S. Territory

b. County

c. City or town

d. Federal government
(including Byrne Justice
Assistance Grants)

e. Fees charged to clients for
representation

f. Other (please specify)

n Yes
n No

1
2

100% TOTAL

Section B. Staffing
B1. Including the chief public defender, how many of the following types of paid employees worked in your
public defender office on December 31, 2024?
‘Chief public defender’ is the individual designated as the chief executive of the office. "Part-time” refers to any
individual who regularly works fewer hours than the office’s standard work week. If you are unable to provide the
actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of
Number of
full‑time Est part‑time Est
a. Attorneys, including the chief public defender, with management or supervisory
responsibilities over other attorneys

b. Attorneys with no management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys

c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)

d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of cases)

e. Paralegals

f. All other staff (including administrators, support staff, IT staff, human resources,
and all others)

Total attorneys (sum of rows a and b)

What number of hours qualifies an attorney to be full-time?

B2. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) in your
office on December 31, 2024, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by sex? If you are able to
provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check box. If you are unable to provide any
numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time attorneys

Est

Number of part‑time attorneys

Est

a. Female

b. Male

c. Unable to provide this information

B3. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) in your
office on December 31, 2024, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by race and/or ethnicity?
If you are able to provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check box. If you are unable to
provide any numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time attorneys

Est

Number of part‑time attorneys

Est

a. White alone

b. Black or African American alone

c. Hispanic or Latino alone

d. American Indian or Alaska Native alone

e. Asian alone

f. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone

g. Middle Eastern or North African alone

h. Multiracial and/or Multiethnic

i. Not known

j. Unable to provide this information

B4. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) on staff,
how many litigating attorneys worked in your public defender office on December 31, 2024? ‘Litigating
attorneys’ carry a caseload. If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and
mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time attorneys

¢ Est

Number of part‑time attorneys

¢ Est

B5. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys, and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys on staff, how
many attorneys had been employed at your office for more than three years as of December 31, 2024?
If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time attorneys

¢ Est

Number of part‑time attorneys

¢ Est

B6. Please enter the minimum and maximum annual salaries your office paid as of December 31, 2024 for
staff in the following categories:
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities
over other attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess
client needs, prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless
of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual
investigation of cases)
e. Paralegals

Minimum

Maximum

No such persons

.00

B7. How many staff in each category left your office at any time during calendar year 2024 (January 1, 2024 December 31, 2024), regardless of the reason? If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide
your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals

Number full‑time

Number part‑time

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

B8. How many staff in each category were hired at any time during calendar year 2024 (January 1, 2024 December 31, 2024)? If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and
mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals

Number full‑time

Number part‑time

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

B9. How many positions were vacant on December 31, 2024? ‘Vacant’ means that your office is authorized to hire
for that position, but as of December 31, 2024, the position was not filled. If you are unable to provide the actual
number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals

Number full‑time

Number part‑time

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

Est

¢ Est

B10. In your jurisdiction who is the final authority in the selection of the chief public defender in your office?
Mark (X) only one.

n State-level body
n Chair of state-level body
3
n Board or commission other than at state-level
4
n State governor
5
n Publicly elected
6
n County executive
7
n County legislature
8
n County or district judiciary
9
n Other (please specify):
1
2

B11. How long had the chief public defender in your
office been in their position as of December 31,
2024? Write in years and months.

Section C. Caseload

a. _ _____ Years

The reference period for this survey’s questions about
cases is your office’s fiscal year (FY) 2024, defined in
question A11.

b. _ ______ Months
c. N/A - position was vacant  SKIP to B13

C1. Did your office handle cases for courtappointed clients in the following categories?
Mark (X) only one choice per row.

B12. What was the annual salary of the chief public
defender in your office on December 31, 2024?
TOTAL ANNUAL SALARY:
$_____________________________ .00

Yes No

B13. Is the current chief public defender in your
office a litigating attorney? (Litigating attorneys
carry a caseload.) Mark (X) only one.

n Yes
n No
3
n NA - position is vacant  SKIP to C1
1
2

B14. Is the current chief defender full or part-time?
“Part-time” refers to any individual who regularly
works fewer hours than the office’s standard work
week. Mark (X) only one.

n Full-time
2
n Part-time
1

B15. What is the sex of the current chief defender?
Mark (X) only one.

n Female
n Male

1
2

B16. What is the race and/or ethnicity of the current
chief public defender? Mark (X) all that apply.

n White
2
n Black or African American
3
n American Indian or Alaska Native
4
n Asian
5
n Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
6
n Middle Eastern or North African
7
n Hispanic or Latino
1

a. Capital felony (including death penalty-eligible
cases not ultimately prosecuted as capital cases)

¢ ¢

b. Non-capital felony cases where life without
parole is an available sentence (whether or
not it is imposed)

¢ ¢

c. Non-capital felony cases where the maximum
sentence is less than life without parole
(including traffic felonies)

¢ ¢

d. Misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence
(including misdemeanor traffic cases)

¢ ¢

e. Misdemeanors that do not carry a jail sentence
(including fine-only traffic offenses)

¢ ¢

f. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or violation

¢ ¢

g. Violation/Revocation of probation or parole

¢ ¢

h. Sex offender registration and classification

¢ ¢

i. Criminal appeal

¢ ¢

j. State post-conviction/habeas corpus

¢ ¢

k. Federal habeas corpus

¢ ¢

l. Expungement of criminal record

¢ ¢

m. Clemency or pardon

¢ ¢

n. Juvenile delinquency

¢ ¢

o. Juvenile delinquency appeals

¢ ¢

p. Juvenile transfer/waiver hearings

¢ ¢

q. Juvenile status offense (e.g., underage liquor law
violation, truancy, etc.)

¢ ¢

r. Termination of parental rights

¢ ¢

s. Child protection/dependency cases
(representing children)

¢ ¢

t. Failure to pay child support

¢ ¢

u. Child protection/dependency cases (representing
parents, other than termination of parental rights)

¢ ¢

v. Civil commitment of alleged sexually violent
predators

¢ ¢

w. Civil commitment (other than alleged sexually
violent predators)

¢ ¢

x. Other (please specify):

¢ ¢

If your responses to C3, b. and C3, c. regarding
non-capital felony cases are both ‘0,’ skip to D1

C2. Criminal cases are often defined and counted
differently across offices. Which of the
following statements most closely reflects how
your office counts a “case”? Mark (X) only one.

C4. In non-capital felony cases, when is your office
typically appointed to represent a client? Mark
(X) only one.

n Every charge against every client is counted as

a separate case.
Groups
of charges against a client may be
n
counted as single cases. (Groups of charges may
be: charges arising from a single incident, charges
contained in a single charging instrument, or
charges contained in a single court docket)

n BEFORE the client’s arrest and first court

appearance. (A first court appearance occurs
when a defendant is brought before a judge or
judicial officer, is informed of charges against
them, and their liberty may be subject to
restriction.)
2
n AT the client’s first court appearance
3
n AFTER the client’s first court appearance
4
n Other (please specify):

C3. How many of the following types of cases did
your office receive in FY 2024? If you are unable
to provide the actual number, please provide your
best estimate and mark the estimate box. If none,
enter “0”.
Type of case
a. Capital felony (including death penaltyeligible cases not ultimately prosecuted
as capital cases)
b. Non-capital cases where life without
parole is an available sentence (where
or not it is imposed)
c. Non-capital felony cases where the
maximum sentence is less than life
without parole (including traffic felonies)
d. Misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence
(including misdemeanor traffic
offenses)
e. Misdemeanors that do not carry a jail
sentence (including fine-only traffic
offenses)

Number of
cases
Est

is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
Not
n immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
Later
than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
n
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (please specify):

g. Violation of probation or parole

h. Criminal appeals

j. All other cases (including civil
commitment of alleged sexually violent
predators, civil commitment other than
alleged sexually violent predators, state
post-conviction/habeas corpus, federal
habeas corpus, juvenile status offenses,
termination of parental rights, failure
to pay child support, child protection/
dependency cases representing children
or parents, sex offender registration and
classification, expungement of criminal
record, clemency)

n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney

f. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or
violation

i. Juvenile cases (including juvenile
delinquency, delinquency appeals, and
juvenile transfer/waiver hearings)

C5. In non-capital felony cases, how soon does
a representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
in custody? Mark (X) only one.

C6. In non-capital felony cases, when does a
representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
not in custody? Mark (X) only one.

n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney

1
2

is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
n Not immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
n Later than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (please specify):

C7. Which of the following best describes how non-capital felony cases are generally handled after your office
is appointed? Mark (X) only one.

n Cases are handled by a single attorney from start to finish (vertical representation).
n Cases may be handled by one or more attorneys prior to arraignment, then assigned to a single attorney for

1
2

the remainder of the case (vertical representation after arraignment only).
n Cases may be assigned to different attorneys at various stages of the case after arraignment (horizontal
representation).
4
n Cases are assigned to either one or more attorneys depending on the type of charges filed
5
n Other (please specify):
3

Section D. Eligibility for Services
D1. Is your office responsible for screening applications from defendants seeking court-appointed counsel?
Mark (X) only one.

n Yes
n No
3
n Not applicable - no screening process is used for persons seeking representation from our office.  SKIP to D5
1
2

D2. Which of the following information is used to assess whether a defendant is financially qualified to
receive appointed counsel in your jurisdiction? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Some courts
consider,
Not
Don't
Considered others do not. considered know
a. Applicant earns income from employment

b. Applicant has outstanding debt (e.g., credit card, student loan)

c. Applicant is able to post financial bond

d. Applicant is in custody (e.g., mental health facility, jail, juvenile or youth
facility or other correctional institution)

e. Applicant lives in public housing

f. Applicant must pay utility bills, rent, mortgage, or other fixed expenses

g. Applicant owns a car

h. Applicant owns a house

i. Applicant receives needs-based public assistance (e.g., social security, TANF)

j. Assets or income of applicant’s family members (e.g., spouse, parents)

k. Likely cost for applicant to hire own attorney

l. Number of dependents in applicant’s family

m. Seriousness of charges against applicant

D3. In your jurisdiction, is there a standard income
level above which applicants are generally
denied court-appointed counsel?

D5. Which of the following fees can a client of your
office be required to pay? Mark (X) only one
choice per row.

n Yes
n No  SKIP to D5
3
n Don't know  SKIP to D5
1

Yes

D4. As of December 31, 2024, what was the
income limit below which an applicant for
representation in a non-capital felony case
with no dependents would routinely qualify for
court-appointed counsel? Enter either a dollar
amount or a percentage based on the Federal
Poverty Line. If neither applies, please describe
what is used.

Don't
know

a. Up-front application or
administrative fee when
requesting an attorney

b. Attorney cost recoupment
after representation is ended
(whether partial or full)

.00
n Income level: $
% of the Federal Poverty Line
n
3
n Other (please specify):
1
2

n Don't know

Section E. Office Resources
E1. Does your office have policies in the following areas? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes, written Yes, unwritten or
policy
informal policy No policy
a. Attorney caseload limits

b. Attorney qualifications to take cases

c. Attorney supervision and/or mentoring

d. Case file maintenance (e.g., timeliness of case closing, completeness of notes)

e. Client contact (e.g., frequency throughout the case)

f. Continuity (or ‘verticality’) of representation throughout case

g. Determining a conflict of interest

h. Information security (e.g., personally identifiable information (PII) or sensitive
information)

i. Leave policy

j. Performance reviews for attorney staff

k. Performance reviews for non-attorney staff

l. Remote work

m. Professional Development Policy

n. Training of attorneys

o. Training of social workers

p. Training of investigators

q. Use of social workers

r. Use of investigators

s. Attorneys referring a client to outside organizations to help meet their civil or
social service needs

E2. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys,
or funding for attorneys to obtain CLE
elsewhere? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Provided

Not
provided

Don't
know

a. In-house CLE

b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CLE elsewhere

E4. Does your office pay bar membership fees for
staff attorneys? Mark (X) only one.

Not
provided

Don't
know

a. In-house CEU

b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CEU elsewhere

Yes, for some

Full-Time

Part-Time

E5. Does your office use an electronic case
management system (CMS)? Case management
systems are software packages that allow attorneys
to keep track of data on clients and cases. For
the purposes of this question, word-processing
documents and spreadsheets (such as Excel) do
not constitute a CMS. Mark (X) only one.

E3. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for social
workers, or funding for social workers to obtain
CEUs elsewhere? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.
Provided

Yes, for all

n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2

E6. Indicate how easy it would be for your office to report the following data. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Data are
Data would be difficult to
Could not report
easily report (e.g., time consuming (e.g., data not available
reportable
and/or labor-intensive)
or accessible)
a. The office’s total caseload

b. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services
of an investigator

c. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services of
a social worker

d. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services of
an expert witness

e. Number of cases by disposition (e.g., how many ended in
dismissal, conviction, acquittal)

f. The cost of providing representation in all cases

g. Demographic data on attorneys and other employees

h. Demographic data on clients

i. Volume of digital discovery evidence

E7. Do you have any system in your office that does the following? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes, and it meets Yes, but it doesn’t meet No such
our office’s needs
our office’s needs
system
a. Automatically transcribes speech in video evidence to text

b. Generates form letters or emails to send to clients

c. Identifies conflicts of interest by checking names of parties in existing cases

d. Organizes client appointments and court dates into a calendar showing
attorneys where they need to be

e. Sends text message reminders to clients for court dates

f. Sends text message reminders to clients for appointments at the office

g. Stores all documents related to a case for easy reference

h. Stores information about communication with client

i. Tracks the amount of time that attorneys spend on a case

E8. For FY 2024, indicate the types of digital evidence your staff reviewed and the devices where the evidence
was stored. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes

a. Documents (e.g., notes, letters, articles, spreadsheets)

b. GPS and navigation system data

c. Social media posts, including audio and video files

d. Law enforcement body camera data

e. Audio files not including social media or body camera data

f. Video files not including social media or body camera data

a. Laptop or desktop computer

b. Thumb and external drives, CDs, DVDs or other media storage device

c. Cloud or external server

d. Traditional cellphone (not smartphone) device

e. Smartphone, tablet, or mobile device

Types of digital evidence reviewed

g. Other type of digital/multimedia data (please specify):

Types of devices where digital evidence was stored

f. Other type of digital/multimedia device (please specify):

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