# Public defender case software that keeps a live count of every open file

> Public defender case management is the work of tracking assigned criminal cases from arraignment through disposition: charges, custody status, court settings, discovery received, motions filed and outcome. The duty comes from Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, decided in 1963. Caseloads are still measured against the 1973 standard of 150 felonies or 400 misdemeanors per attorney per year. Neurobird tracks assignment, discovery and settings in one place so the count is always current.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/defendercase/
- Product: Neurobird Public Defender Case Client Portal
- Niche: public defender case
- Buyer: public defender offices
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Public Defender Case does

- Assign cases at arraignment and keep a running open count per attorney
- Log every discovery production with date received, source, page count and reviewer
- Track the next setting for every case so nothing is discovered on the calendar the morning of
- Record dispositions in a form your funder and your court can actually read

## How it works

1. **Assign at arraignment** Case number, top charge, custody status and attorney captured in one screen, in court, on a phone.
2. **Log every production** Each discovery batch records date received, source, page or file count and who reviewed it, so the record survives a later challenge.
3. **Watch the load** Open counts per attorney update as cases close, measured against the 150 and 400 standards rather than guessed at.

## From the source material

> Public defender programs in the 13 states with death penalty statutes spent a combined $11.3 million providing capital case representation in 2007.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/state-public-defender-programs-2007

## Industry context

- **1963** Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, held that states must provide counsel to defendants who cannot afford it, which is where the whole obligation starts. (source: Cornell Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/372/335)
- **150** Felony cases per attorney per year under the 1973 National Advisory Commission standard, the figure most state offices are still measured against. A 2023 national study concluded it is far too high. (source: National Center for State Courts, workload planning, https://www.ncsc.org/our-expertise/workload-planning)
- **400** Misdemeanor cases per attorney per year under the same 1973 standard, set long before body camera video and phone extractions existed. (source: National Center for State Courts, workload planning, https://www.ncsc.org/our-expertise/workload-planning)
- **94** Federal judicial districts, each with its own defender arrangement, on top of state and county systems that all report differently. (source: US Courts, Defender Services, https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/defender-services)
- **2007** Year of the last full national census of state public defender programs, which is why current office level workload data is so thin. (source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/state-public-defender-programs-2007)

## Pricing

- Small office: $60 per attorney, per month
- County defender: $140 per attorney, per month
- Statewide: $260 per attorney, per month

## Questions

### What is public defender case management?

Public defender case management is the work of tracking assigned criminal cases from arraignment through disposition: charges, custody status, court settings, discovery received, motions filed, investigation tasks and outcome. It is different from a private firm matter system because assignment is involuntary, caseloads are capped by standards, and the client is often in custody.

### What is a reasonable felony caseload for one attorney?

The 1973 National Advisory Commission standard is still the number most offices are measured against: 150 felonies or 400 misdemeanors per attorney per year. A 2023 national workload study concluded those 1973 figures were far too high for modern case complexity, particularly with digital discovery.

### Why does discovery tracking matter so much?

Because a missed disclosure is a claim of ineffective assistance later. Modern discovery includes body camera video, cell phone extractions and lab reports arriving over months, so the office needs a dated record of what came in, from whom, and who reviewed it.

### Does this replace the court case management system?

No. The court runs its own docket. This is the office side: your assignments, your discovery log, your investigation tasks and your caseload counts, none of which the court system tracks for you.

### Is client data kept confidential?

Everything here is attorney work product and privileged client information. Access is per user and per case, and the audit trail records who opened what.

## Sources

- [Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335](https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/372/335)
- [Bureau of Justice Statistics, indigent defense](https://bjs.ojp.gov/topics/courts/indigent-defense)
- [National Center for State Courts, workload planning](https://www.ncsc.org/our-expertise/workload-planning)
- [US Courts, Defender Services](https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/defender-services)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/