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X-WR-CALNAME:National Association for Public Defense
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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for National Association for Public Defense
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DTSTART:20260308T070000
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260304T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260304T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260226T183207Z
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UID:10000579-1772625600-1772629200@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Social Worker Meetup: A discussion about Specialty Courts
DESCRIPTION:This week’s social worker meetup will explore the roles we play in Specialty Courts (Family Treatment Courts\, Recovery Courts\, Veterans Courts\, etc.) and the roles that Specialty Courts play in diversion and how they may either support or impact the clients with whom we work. Take a look at this blog post from the Prison Policy Initiative that examines some of the problems in specialty courts as these affect the persons involved in these court alternatives\, and we will discuss our experience and ways we may support clients to counteract the problems where possible. \nStephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia\, Colorado\, and West Virginia. She is currently the Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program\, and owner of Transform Legal\, a consultancy focused on mitigation\, training\, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor\, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients\, lawyers\, social workers\, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-3/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260304T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260304T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260211T152725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T152726Z
UID:10000503-1772640000-1772643600@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Policy and Legislative Meet-Up
DESCRIPTION:This 60-minute virtual gathering is designed as a practical\, working session—not a webinar. Together\, we will:\n\nWorkshop active campaigns involving statutes\, rules\, budget advocacy\, and administrative reforms.\nExchange model bill language\, fiscal notes\, one-pagers\, and testimony templates.\nCoordinate strategy on messaging\, media engagement\, coalition building\, and storytelling from impacted communities.\nNavigate ethics constraints\, including 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) boundaries and public-sector limitations.\nTranslate courtroom experience and client narratives into persuasive\, data-informed advocacy.\nShare tools for rapid-response efforts during moments of crisis or legislative rollback.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/policy-and-legislative-meet-up-2-2/2026-03-04/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T140000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260128T201607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260206T174854Z
UID:10000600-1773147600-1773151200@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:DEIJ/Racial Justice MeetUp featuring Guest Presenter
DESCRIPTION:Details TBA.  Meetup events are exclusive to NAPD members.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/deij-racial-justice-webinar-series/2026-03-10/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://publicdefenders.us/app/uploads/2026/01/DEI-RJ-Meetup.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T150000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260309T160332Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T160332Z
UID:10000627-1773237600-1773241200@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Investigator Supervisors - What kind of training do we need?
DESCRIPTION:We will be joined by Amber Kaset to talk about what sort of training as supervisors of our investigative team would be needed and wanted. Just like in A.I. it’s all about the prompting\, so we will provide some ideas and look forward to yours as well. Let’s plan what is needed together! \n\nAmber Kaset is widely recognized for her leadership in criminal defense investigations and investigator training\, with more than 20 years of experience as a private investigator and mitigation specialist. She founded AK Investigations in 2010 after seven years at the Metropolitan Public Defender in Nashville\, where she worked as a criminal defense investigator and interpreter.\nThroughout her career\, Amber has worked on more than 1\,000 cases spanning a broad spectrum of criminal and civil matters. Her experience includes serious felony cases across a wide range of offenses\, including sex crimes\, homicides\, and federal prosecutions\, with work at both the trial and post-conviction levels in capital and non-capital cases. She has participated in numerous death penalty cases across multiple states\, including cases involving foreign nationals from Latin America\, and partners with the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program (MCLAP)\, local innocence organizations\, the National Innocence Project\, public defender offices\, and private defense attorneys to support clients facing the most serious charges. \nWhat began as a one-woman practice has grown under Amber’s leadership into a multi-investigator firm with diverse skills and specialties. In addition to casework\, Amber provides investigative services\, training\, and consulting nationwide\, helping defense teams and investigators strengthen case development and elevate investigative standards. She regularly teaches and presents at national conferences and trainings for investigators\, attorneys\, paralegals\, and defense teams\, and has taught investigative practice to law students and other audiences at universities including Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee\, Knoxville. She is known for delivering thoughtful\, high-quality\, defense-centered support tailored to the unique needs of each case.\nAmber is the founder of AK Investigations and the creator of The Investigative Expert Method\, an online training platform for criminal defense investigators and other members of the defense team.\nFor more information\, visitwww.akinvestigations.com andwww.investigativeexpertmethod.com. \nJONATHAN “Jon” LYON is currently the Investigator Resource Coordinator\, past Member Support Coordinator and the national survey investigator for National Association for Public Defense. Since the pandemic he has led roughly 200 meetups for investigators both nationally and internationally. Jon is the president of Lyon Legal Logistics to help attorneys in and out of court with Discovery and technology and has assisted attorneys in multiple federal court jurisdictions (www.lyonlegallogistics.com/). \nHe is also a legal investigator for McClain Investigations. Jon began his investigative background working in a PI firm and then for 12 years for the Office of the State Appellate Defender of Illinois. His primary focus has been on post-conviction death penalty cases. In addition\, Jon worked for LexisNexis as an award-winning national trainer of the Case Map suite of software. He also worked for Lockheed Martin as a contractor supporting government attorneys and investigators with software and electronic discovery support needs. He is a Certified Defense Investigator through DePaul’s Center for Justice in Capital Cases and a Certified Trainer through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. He has taught at the Clarence Darrow Death Penalty Defense College\, Cardoza\, DePaul\, Kent\, Iowa\, and University of Michigan law schools.\nHe has also taught at the National Defense Investigator Associations Annual Conferences\, National Association of Legal Investigators annual conference\, National Association for Public Defense\, The Innocence Project\, NACDL\, Federal Defender’s winning strategies conferences\, Life in the Balance\, American Society of Criminology\, US Army\, Intellenet and numerous state and county public defender conferences. It is not unheard of for Jon to be invited back to conferences. Jon was most recently interviewed on “Public Defenseless” episode #99. Jon is the Creator/Webmaster for the internationally utilized website www.internetsleuth.net.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisors-what-kind-of-training-do-we-need/
CATEGORIES:Meetup
LOCATION:https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisors-what-kind-of-training-do-we-need/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260211T152725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T152726Z
UID:10000504-1773244800-1773248400@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Policy and Legislative Meet-Up
DESCRIPTION:This 60-minute virtual gathering is designed as a practical\, working session—not a webinar. Together\, we will:\n\nWorkshop active campaigns involving statutes\, rules\, budget advocacy\, and administrative reforms.\nExchange model bill language\, fiscal notes\, one-pagers\, and testimony templates.\nCoordinate strategy on messaging\, media engagement\, coalition building\, and storytelling from impacted communities.\nNavigate ethics constraints\, including 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) boundaries and public-sector limitations.\nTranslate courtroom experience and client narratives into persuasive\, data-informed advocacy.\nShare tools for rapid-response efforts during moments of crisis or legislative rollback.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/policy-and-legislative-meet-up-2-2/2026-03-11/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260312T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260312T150000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260128T172209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T184708Z
UID:10000569-1773324000-1773327600@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:The Defender Wellness Collective MeetUp\, Featuring: Terri Collins-Green\, LCSW-C
DESCRIPTION:Together\, We Are the Culture \nAs we build this community\, remember that culture is not imposed; It is grown. \n“You are essential. You are worth sustaining.” \nYou’re not alone. \nLet’s walk this road together\, building a culture of wellness for everyone in public defense. \n  \nLink the NAPD 10 Principles of Sustainability
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/the-defender-wellness-collective-meetup-3/
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260318T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260318T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260211T152725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T152726Z
UID:10000505-1773849600-1773853200@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Policy and Legislative Meet-Up
DESCRIPTION:This 60-minute virtual gathering is designed as a practical\, working session—not a webinar. Together\, we will:\n\nWorkshop active campaigns involving statutes\, rules\, budget advocacy\, and administrative reforms.\nExchange model bill language\, fiscal notes\, one-pagers\, and testimony templates.\nCoordinate strategy on messaging\, media engagement\, coalition building\, and storytelling from impacted communities.\nNavigate ethics constraints\, including 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) boundaries and public-sector limitations.\nTranslate courtroom experience and client narratives into persuasive\, data-informed advocacy.\nShare tools for rapid-response efforts during moments of crisis or legislative rollback.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/policy-and-legislative-meet-up-2-2/2026-03-18/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260324T125642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T125643Z
UID:10000621-1774440000-1774443600@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Social Worker Meetup
DESCRIPTION:In this social worker meetup (for social workers\, sentencing advocates\, mitigation specialists\, and others in similar roles) we will be talking about if and how (any why\, if so) we write to aggravators. Mitigation exists on its own\, but is developed in response to a case’s aggravators. This responsive approach is not always how we prepare or present mitigation. Are you writing to address and nullify aggravators? Why or why not? We will discuss this and more in our meetup this week! \nStephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia\, Colorado\, and West Virginia. She is currently the Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program\, and owner of Transform Legal\, a consultancy focused on mitigation\, training\, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor\, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients\, lawyers\, social workers\, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-4/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T122708
CREATED:20260211T152725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T152726Z
UID:10000506-1774454400-1774458000@publicdefenders.us
SUMMARY:Policy and Legislative Meet-Up
DESCRIPTION:This 60-minute virtual gathering is designed as a practical\, working session—not a webinar. Together\, we will:\n\nWorkshop active campaigns involving statutes\, rules\, budget advocacy\, and administrative reforms.\nExchange model bill language\, fiscal notes\, one-pagers\, and testimony templates.\nCoordinate strategy on messaging\, media engagement\, coalition building\, and storytelling from impacted communities.\nNavigate ethics constraints\, including 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) boundaries and public-sector limitations.\nTranslate courtroom experience and client narratives into persuasive\, data-informed advocacy.\nShare tools for rapid-response efforts during moments of crisis or legislative rollback.
URL:https://publicdefenders.us/event/policy-and-legislative-meet-up-2-2/2026-03-25/
LOCATION:Virtual\, Virtual Event
CATEGORIES:Meetup
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