The plan for the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 as Amended provides that a panel of private attorneys who are eligible and willing to be appointed to provide representation be maintained by the Clerk of Court. Applications for placement on the panel are available upon request from the Clerk of Court. Completed applications should be returned to the Clerk of Court who will present them to the CJA Panel Committee. The Committee meets to consider the applications and recommend to the court those attorneys qualified for placement on the panel. The court then approves attorneys for membership on the panel
... (read more).

Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law on December 16, 2009, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-117), the spending measure which
includes fiscal year 2010 funding for the Judiciary. As detailed below, (1) the Congress
authorized and provided funds to increase the capital and non-capital hourly rates for Criminal
Justice Act (CJA) private “panel” attorneys; and (2) the change in the non-capital hourly rate
results in an adjustment to the attorney case compensation maximum amounts.

(read more).

New Litigation Support Page

Dear Defenders and CJA Panel Representatives,

I am pleased to announce the new Litigation Support page on the ODS-TB website at www.fd.org . It is our hope that it will be a resource for Defender staff and CJA panel attorneys when facing cases with large volumes of discovery and/or electronic discovery. The page can be found at http://www.fd.org/odstb_LitigationSupport.htm (if the link does not work, you can access it on the Litigation Support tab on the left side of the home page).

The page defines litigation support, provides contact information for the National Litigation Support Team, and contains links to the following resources:

1. A document defining common litigation support terms;

2. An Initial Discovery Assessment Checklist (Checklist) that helps you get started by asking relevant questions and identifying factors that can be useful when determining which resources may be needed to manage the discovery in your case;

3. Recommended E-Discovery Practices for FPD/CJA Attorneys (Recommended Practices) which lays out potential steps to take to effectively manage the discovery throughout your case; and

4. A Guide for CJA Panel Attorneys on Obtaining Litigation Support Resources .

The development of litigation support as a subspeciality within the civil litigation world is more frequently becoming a reality in the world of federal criminal defense. Many practitioners are finding it necessary to have effective technological tools, personnel who are knowledgeable about litigation support, and clearly defined processes to ensure quality management of discovery. I have attached two of the documents referenced above (the "Checklist" and the "Recommended Practices") as they provide brief introductions to these new realities.

We look forward to serving as a resource and working with you in meeting the challenges presented by these cases. Please feel free to contact the National Litigation Support Team if you need assistance.

Sean Broderick
National Litigation Support Administrator
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
Office of Defender Services
555 12th Street, Suite 650
Oakland, CA 94607-3627
510-637-1950 Direct
510-637-3500 General
510-637-3507 Fax
sean_broderick@fd.org

Recommended E-Discovery Practices

Initial Discovery Assessment Checklist