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⚖️ Miami-Dade AI Public Defender — How One Office Is Using AI to Manage 75,000 Cases a Year

NewBits Digest feature image for article on the Miami-Dade AI Public Defender, highlighting how the county uses AI to streamline public defense cases.

The Headline


In one of the first full-scale AI deployments in U.S. public defense, the Miami-Dade AI Public Defender initiative has integrated artificial intelligence into daily legal workflows — from organizing evidence to drafting briefs and managing thousands of complex cases each year.


🧠 AI in the Courtroom (and the Back Office)


  • The 400-person Miami-Dade office — including about 230 attorneys — now uses CoCounsel, a legal AI platform from Thomson Reuters, for research, file management, and record summarization.


  • The system scans and structures handwritten or paper documents, freeing lawyers from clerical overload.


  • With roughly 15,000 open cases at any time and 75,000 total annually, automation has become essential to keep pace.


💬 “We were not scared of it,” said Carlos J. Martinez, Miami-Dade’s Public Defender. “We welcomed it because we know the technology has to be the way we handle additional workload.”


📂 What the Miami-Dade AI Public Defender System Actually Does


  • Summarizes large volumes of complex records (medical, school, and client notes).


  • Builds timelines and assembles reports automatically.


  • Drafts briefs and filings from structured data.


  • Integrates with legacy and in-house case-management platforms.


⏱️ Result: hundreds of attorney hours saved weekly and faster turnaround for clients awaiting justice.


🔐 Security and Governance


  • CoCounsel keeps all data within Thomson Reuters’ secure, FedRAMP-compliant systems — no external sharing.


  • Contracts mandate encryption and “black-box” storage for sensitive client files.


  • A FedRAMP-authorized edition is expected in 2026 to expand government-grade compliance.


📅 Next on the Docket


  • The office is now piloting AI-assisted scheduling and deposition management, aiming to reduce wasted coordination across more than 1,000 monthly depositions — half of which are typically canceled.


  • Early tests suggest major efficiency gains across administrative workloads.


🌍 Why the Miami-Dade AI Public Defender Matters


  • Justice efficiency: AI tools are helping under-resourced defenders keep pace with overwhelming caseloads.


  • Transparency model: Miami-Dade’s adoption could become a template for other jurisdictions embracing AI responsibly.


  • Cultural shift: Government legal teams increasingly view AI as a colleague, not a threat.


  • Human impact: Every hour saved on paperwork means more time for advocacy and client care.


⚖️ The Takeaway


The Miami-Dade AI Public Defender project represents more than a tech upgrade — it’s a quiet revolution in public defense.


By embracing AI early, the county is proving that innovation and justice can coexist — and that even the slowest-moving institutions can accelerate toward a more efficient future.



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