By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium

King County’s Office of Public Defense is among the first in the nation to adopt new, research-based caseload limits for public defenders, a move aimed at addressing what experts call a growing crisis in public defense. Public defenders across the country — including in Washington — face overwhelming caseloads and low pay, leaving them unable to devote the necessary time to each client and undermining the fairness of the justice system. In response, the Washington State Bar Association’s (WSBA) Board of Governors recently approved the standards, which are based on the National Public Defense Workload Study (NPDWS) and designed to ensure every client receives constitutionally adequate representation.

“What you’re seeing nationally is a sort of crisis in

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