ABSTRACT
Courts are large, complex organizations.a With growth in workloads and programs, judicial branch costs have increased steadily (e.g., total state and local judicial and legal expenditures increased almost fourfold between 1984 and 2000).[1] The emergence of performance standards [e.g., the American Bar Association (ABA) trial court standards] and legislative performance expectations lead to increased scrutiny of the resource planning and management practices of courts.[2] Pressure throughout the public sector to cut costs requires greater attention to efficiency in the judicial branch through improved practices. Perceived declines in public confidence and satisfaction with the courts require that more attention is given to customer services in resource allocation decisions. The growth in trial court costs places stress on local government's ability to pay.
