Step 3: Multiply Projected Caseload by the NPDWS Standards to get Annual Hours Needed
A public defense provider next applies the NPDWS standards (case weights) to the projected caseloads to get the total amount of annual attorney time required to represent all clients. This must be done for each case type. First, multiply the projected caseload for one case type by NPDWS standards (case weights) for that case type.
For example, for Felony-High-LWOP, the projected caseload of 18 new cases is multiplied by the NPDWS standards (case weight) of 286 hours per case. The result is a total of 5,243 attorney hours needed for Felony-High-LWOP cases.
Next, do the same for each of the other 10 case types. Finally, add together the hours needed for each case type to get the total annual hours of attorney time needed for the entire caseload.
The table below shows the completed process for our fictional jurisdiction. The provider used the adjusted three-year average caseload (from Step 2) as the 2026 Projected Caseload. Adding the case hours needed across case types yields a total of 975,949 attorney hours needed for the fictional jurisdiction provider to represent clients in adult criminal cases in 2026.
