Moving Beyond Yoga: Solutions for Improving Public Defenders’ Work Life and Effectiveness

By Alisa Smith, JD, Ph.D, Professor of Legal Studies, University of Central Florida

A recent article drawing on the responses of a national sample of public defenders affiliated with the National Association for Public Defense supported prior research findings that public defenders are intrinsically motivated to do this work and suffer stress from observing injustices. They were motivated by the causes of social justice, helping their clients, and improving the community. These highly motivated public defenders worked in performance-weighty climates, where success and representation matter, which put them at high risk of suffering from compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout. They reported that stressors organized around three themes: Organizational Stressors (Workload, Compensation, Bureaucracy, and Support), Work-Life Balance (Lacking Resources, High Demands), and Structural Stressors (Emotional Burdens, System Injustices, Disrespect, and Discrimination). These weighty and extrinsic concerns were identified as the reasons they considered leaving their rewarding work, and public defenders linked their suggestions for improvement by addressing organizational and structural impediments. Their recommendations sought to improve their lives, work, and the effectiveness of counsel.

The surveyed public defenders advanced solutions emphasizing support and flexibility, increased resources, and reduced workloads. The solutions, like the stressors, were organizational and structural. Their solutions moved beyond personal strategies and wellness. Organizational solutions focused on improving their work-life balance, allowing flexibility to support and juggle their work and home lives. They asserted that balance and improved representation could be achieved by imposing caseload caps and offering flexibility in their work assignments. To address structural stressors (e.g., compassion fatigue and the stresses of injustice), public defenders urged access to support, including mental health treatment for themselves and their clients, reducing discrimination, and increasing financial support to allow smaller caseloads and more time away from the day-to-day practice.