§157. Trial-level compliance officer

A. The board shall employ a trial-level compliance officer who shall meet the following qualifications:

(1) Meet the qualifications provided for in R.S. 15:150(B).

(2) Have expertise in matters of performance evaluation development and implementation.

(3) Be an attorney licensed to practice law in the United States with at least three years of experience as a criminal defense attorney, or possess a master's degree in public administration from an accredited school or university and possess five years of progressively responsible experience conducting organizational assessments and, if licensed as an attorney in a state other than Louisiana, become licensed as an attorney in this state within one year of being employed by the board.

B. The trial-level compliance officer shall:

(1) Develop evaluation protocols to assess trial-level district compliance with board-adopted standards and guidelines.

(2) Develop an effective evaluation implementation plan that allows for regular assessments and ongoing monitoring of each district public defender system's compliance of board-adopted standards and guidelines.

(3) Provide direct oversight of necessary staff to conduct regular assessments and ongoing monitoring.

(4) Make regular reports to the board on variances to board standards and guidelines with respect to each district.

(5) Perform all other duties assigned by the state public defender or the board.

C. All standards and guidelines for the delivery of public defender services shall be rules adopted by the board pursuant to R.S. 15:148 and in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

D. Nothing in this Section shall supersede a district public defender's responsibility to supervise individual attorneys and staff in performance on specific cases, or to employ or terminate local attorneys and staff personnel.

Acts 2007, No. 307, §1.