Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 22 - CORRECTIONS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Part XV - Public Defender Board
Chapter 7 - Trial Court Performance Standards
Section XV-707 - General Duties of Defense Counsel

A. Before agreeing to act as counsel or accepting appointment by a court, counsel has an obligation to make sure that counsel has available sufficient time, resources, knowledge and experience to offer effective representation to a defendant in a particular matter. If it later appears that counsel is unable to offer effective representation in the case, counsel should move to withdraw.

B. Counsel must be alert to all potential and actual conflicts of interest that would impair counsel's ability to represent a client. When appropriate, counsel may be obliged to seek an advisory opinion on any potential conflicts.

C. Counsel has the obligation to keep the client informed of the progress of the case.

D. If a conflict develops during the course of representation, counsel has a duty to notify the client and the court in accordance with the Louisiana Rules of Court and in accordance with the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct.

E. When counsel's caseload is so large that counsel is unable to satisfactorily meet these performance standards, counsel shall inform the district defender for counsel's judicial district and, if applicable, the regional director, the court or courts before whom counsel's cases are pending. If the district defender determines that the caseloads for his entire office are so large that counsel is unable to satisfactorily meet these performance standards, the district defender shall inform the court or courts before whom cases are pending and the state public defender.