Following the success of the Louisiana Writ Service, State Public Defender Rémy Starns announces the creation of the Louisiana Appeals & Writ Service (LAWS). LAWS will contract directly with attorneys to handle both non-capital direct appeals and Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 2201 supervisory writs. Housed within the Office of the State Public Defender and led by Deputy State Public Defender Michael A. Mitchell, the service will enable the system to provide access to additional high-quality representation with no gaps or reductions in services.
While this new approach to handling appeals will result in the non-renewal of the Louisiana Appellate Project’s contract, there will be no cut in services as the OSPD has already identified a roster of potential attorneys to handle these cases. This new structure will mimic the structure currently utilized to handle Child in Need of Care (CINC) appeals. Additionally, as the former District Defender of the Office of the Public Defender for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, with decades of experience leading one of the largest public defender offices in the state, Deputy State Public Defender Michael A. Mitchell, is well positioned to direct LAWS.