Online Course: Public Defense Leadership Essentials

Strengthen Your Leadership. Support Your Team.

Dates: Oct 29 -Nov 21, 2025

Weekly 90 minute small groups – You Choose what works best for you Monday (starting Nov 3), Wednesdays (starting Oct 29) and Thursdays (starting Oct 30) at 1:30 pm eastern / 10:30 am pacific.

Price;  $350 NAPD Members / $450 Non Members   You will continue to have access to the entire course after the completion of the small group sessions.

Registration Deadline – Oct 15

Whether you’re a new supervisor or a seasoned leader, this four-week online course from the National Association for Public Defense will help you lead more effectively, build a client-centered culture, and foster a thriving team environment in your office. Designed specifically for public defense professionals of all job types across the country, this course provides practical tools, proven frameworks, and real-time support to elevate your leadership.

What to Expect

On-Demand Learning
Each week, you’ll gain access to 1–2 hours of video content through our learning platform. Watch at your own pace as you explore key leadership topics that prepare you for deeper engagement during the live workshops.

Facilitated Small Group Workshops
Join a 90-minute zoom based workshop each week (4 total), led by experienced facilitators who understand the challenges of public defense leadership. Through peer collaboration, real-world scenarios, and guided discussion, you’ll apply what you’ve learned and learn from others.
Workshops are offered at multiple times—choose the one that fits your schedule.

Topics Covered

• Client-Centered Leadership
  Prioritize your clients while balancing the needs of your team and organization.

• Reframing Your Office Using the Four Frame Model
  Explore structural, human resources, political, and symbolic lenses to better understand and improve your office dynamics.

• Giving Effective Feedback
  Learn practical strategies for delivering feedback that supports staff development and fosters growth.

• Navigating Challenging Conversations
  Build the confidence and skills to have honest, productive conversations with your team.

• Creating Office Culture
  Shape a positive, inclusive, and mission-driven culture that supports staff and advances justice.

Who Should Attend

This course is for anyone in public defense leadership—whether you manage a small team or oversee an entire office. You’ll leave with tools you can use right away, plus new insights to strengthen your impact and better support your staff.

Small Group Facilitators

Jeff Sherr​ leads the NAPD Online Academy creating new courses and providing support for course creators. Jeff was Training Director for NAPD from 2016 – 2025, where he led the development of numerous in person national conferences, the first national virtual public defense conference, and the creation of NAPD Online Academy with courses for public defense professionals across the nation. Prior to that he was the Manager of the Education and Strategic Planning Branch of the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) Jeff started with the DPA in1994, starting first as a law clerk, then working with the Juvenile Post Dispositional Unit, then in the trial division with the Stanford Field Office. Jeff graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1995.  Jeff has been a faculty member for Gideon’s Promise, the National Criminal Defense College, Clarence Darrow Death Penalty College, Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshop, Bronx Defender Academy, and other state litigation institutes. In addition to regularly training public defender litigators and trainers, Jeff trains public defender leaders nationally and for many individual defender states and federal offices. Jeff also has an extensive background in theatre having studied with the National Shakespeare Conservatory and the University of Kansas. Jeff performs regularly with Central Kentucky Improv in  Lexington, Kentucky at Improv Festivals across the country.

Cathleen L. Bennett recently moved to Anchorage, Alaska from Boston, Massachusetts where she was a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (the Massachusetts Statewide Public Defender) for 30 years. She was the Criminal Defense Training Director at CPCS for 17 years. As a trial lawyer trial lawyer in the CPCS Public Defender Division, she defended clients charged with murder and other serious felonies. She now works as a training consultant for the National Association for Public Defense, and she intends to accept appointments to represent criminally accused people in the Alaska Courts soon. Cathy is on the faculty and the Board of Trustees of the National Criminal Defense College. She is a Core Faculty member of Gideon’s Promise (formerly the Southern Public Defender Training Center), which was the subject of the award-winning HBO documentary “Gideon’s Army,” and she has taught for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and criminal defense training programs across the country. She received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the Committee for Public Counsel Services in 2007, the Scholar-Mentor Award from Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE) in 2008, the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2011 and the Stephen B. Bright Award in 2018 from Gideon’s Promise, and the Gideon Award from the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2017.