Indigent Defense

NACDL will work with the Georgia Public Defender Council to bring a two-day training program to Macon, GA, to target the underserved area of southwest Georgia. The program will have a dual track on the first day, with juvenile and adult topics, and the second day will be comprised of "crossover" topics for both adult and juvenile defenders.

Racial Bias Training: An Overview of the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Approach
There is no question---racial and ethnic disparities abound in our criminal justice system. Racial bias, both conscious and unconscious, results in more people of color being stopped, arrested, convicted and imprisoned than ever before. Criminal defense lawyers and public defenders are not immune to bias and, of all people in the system, should be aware of their biases and keep them in check.

NACDL will present a program titled "Taking the Fear out of Forensics" for indigent defenders in Mississippi. The seminar will take place on March 17-18, 2015 at the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, MS.

Colette Tvedt will travel to Colorado to train Colorado defenders on pretrial release advocacy at their annual conference, September 20-22, 2015.

NACDL will present a two-day training program to indigent defense providers in Michigan. The agenda is not yet set.

NACDL presented a two day training program for public defenders and private assigned counsel in the state of New York, focusing on essential skills of client-centered advocacy. The program covered pretrial release advocacy, investigation, ethical duties to advise regarding collateral consequences, theory/theme/storytelling, 4th Amendment issues, special concerns of mentally ill defendants, time-keeping and workload management, and creative sentencing advocacy.

NACDL will present a two-day training to indigent defense providers in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is not yet set.

“Clients, not Cases: Skills for Outstanding Representation” is a training program designed exclusively for public defenders and contract counsel representing indigent clients in criminal proceedings. The name of the program, “Clients, not Cases,” is designed to remind attorneys that each client is an individual who deserves to be treated with respect and to have his case given the attention that any one of us would want. The program addresses essential client-centered representation tasks required in every case, regardless of whether the matter ultimately ends in plea or trial.

We will present a two-day program entitled "Clients, not Cases: Skills for Outstanding Representation" for members of the bar in Austin, TX who take court-appointed indigent criminal defense cases through the Capital Area Private Defender Service. The name of the program, “Clients, not Cases,” is designed to remind attorneys that each client is an individual who deserves to be treated with respect and to have his case given the attention that any one of us would want.

NACDL has created a working group comprised of experts in the delivery of indigent services from all over the country – indigent training directors, public defender directors, clinical directors – who are recognized experts on criminal defense issues and training. The purpose of the working group is to solicit input and aid from a wide array of individuals working in indigent defense to plan and execute the training programs planned under the grant. Co-chaired by Colette Tvedt and Adele Bernhard, the group met in Washington, D.C. on September 4, 2014 for a daylong summit.