Due to the number of inmate lawsuits, guidelines for managing the defense of inmate civil litigation efficiently and effectively are offered that focus on the scope of inmate civil litigation and on the selection of attorneys and support staff. The guidelines also concern how to make effective use of limited resources (specialization, litigation reports, form pleadings, brief banks, and standard file formats) and how to work with the Department of Corrections, risk management, courts, court- appointed counsel, and inmates. The author points out that State attorneys general who plan for the effective and efficient use of inmate litigation can prevent court interference in the operation of the State's correctional system and conserve public resources that would otherwise be absorbed in the defense of frivolous inmate litigation.