The report argues that public procurement is a useful, yet bounded, governance instrument for middle powers dependent on foreign frontier AI. By embedding contractual guarantees—such as model access for evaluation and termination clauses—into state contracts, governments can mitigate risks like vendor lock-in and data sovereignty vulnerabilities. However, the analysis finds that individual state demand provides limited leverage; therefore, the key strategic recommendation is that middle powers must coordinate their procurement efforts. This collective action is necessary to aggregate demand, share evaluation capabilities, and strengthen their collective bargaining position against dominant AI providers.
Los Angeles County Public Defender Attorney Workload Study: Final Report
English Summary
The study concludes that while the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office (LACPD) utilizes a Case Complexity System (CCS) to manage workload, the system is structurally flawed and often misaligns case complexity with actual attorney effort. Analysis using time studies and expert panels revealed that the CCS underestimates the demands of certain serious cases and is limited by poor data quality and lack of proportionality. Policy recommendations emphasize recalibrating the CCS and, critically, formalizing support staff roles (e.g., paralegals) to minimize non-legal administrative tasks, thereby ensuring constitutionally adequate representation and informing multiyear staffing plans.
中文摘要
本研究結論指出，儘管洛杉磯縣公設辯護人辦公室（LACPD）利用案件複雜度系統（CCS）來管理工作量，但該系統存在結構性缺陷，且常使案件複雜度與律師實際投入的精力產生偏差。運用時間研究和專家小組的分析顯示，CCS低估了某些嚴重案件的實際要求，且受限於資料品質不佳和缺乏比例性。政策建議強調必須重新校準CCS，並關鍵性地正式化支援人員的角色（例如法律助理），以最小化非法律行政任務，從而確保符合憲法規定的充分辯護權，並為制定多年期人員配置計畫提供參考。
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