A plurality of servers (802, 204, 202, 203) for processing client (210) requests (220, 222, 810) forward the requests (220, 222, 810) among themselves to achieve a balanced load. When a server (802, 204, 202, 203) initially receives a client request (220, 222, 810), it randomly selects another of the plurality of servers (802, 204, 202, 203), referred to as a first-chance server, and forwards the request (220, 222, 810) to this server. Upon receiving the request, the first-chance server determines if it is overloaded and if not, process the request. However, if overloaded, the first-chance server compares its load to the load of one or more predetermined next-neighbor servers. If the next-neighbor server(s) are more loaded than the first-chance server, the first-chance server processes the request. Otherwise, the first-chance server forwards the request to the least loaded next-neighbor server. The next-neighbor receiving the request either processes it directly, or alternatively, based on its current load and that of its next-neighbor server(s), forwards the reques to another next-neighbor server for processing.