The Defender Wellness Collective is a monthly gathering designed to support public defenders and others in the public defense community in maintaining their well-being. This meetup provides a space for reflection, connection, and practical strategies to help mitigate burnout, manage […]
When the team works well together and is a good fit, the work gets done effectively and successfully, fulfilling all team members. How do we hire the right staff and coach to their strengths and to the strengths of the […]
DEIJ Advocates, JOIN US our July 2025 edition of the DEIJ MEETUP! Charles Fox, Jr., M.A.P.P. (he/his/him) will lead us with his presentation - Bending the Arc: Navigating DEIJ in Public Defense Amidst Hostility & Misinformation. A timely presentation indeed! […]
Shaken Baby Syndrome has led to a number of wrongful convictions throughout the years. SBS cases were heavily litigated in the 1990s and early 2000s before they seemed to trail off. However, over the past five or so years we […]
The Gideon Blueprint: Innovating On-Prem AI for Public Defense This session explores the full arc of building a secure, on-premises AI system tailored for public defense work. From research and cost comparisons to the decision to avoid cloud-based risks, we’ll […]
The first 1,000 days refers to a child’s life from day one of conception until the age of 2. This is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations of ideal neurodevelopment, growth, and health are established. Problematic and traumatic […]
Lori James is the Executive Director of the National Association for Public Defense, a social worker and mitigation specialist, who started her career as a social work intern under Cessie Alfonso's supervision. Lori has served as mitigation specialist in many […]
This webinar is an introduction to the techniques Michael Ahn uses in his work consulting litigants on the use for story in our cases. Humans use stories to make choices and justify actions. This is especially true in criminal justice […]
Public Defender Investigators are the quiet backbone of the justice system—relentlessly seeking truth, advocating for fairness, and shouldering the emotional weight of other people’s crises. But what happens when the people doing this critical work are overwhelmed, burned out, or […]
While we have our usual grind of caseload, managing others and a home life, let's talk about the balancing of these parts of our lives. Come join us for finding how best to accomplish this daily feat for ourselves and […]
In this presentation we will discuss the way to approach developing a defense from the beginning of your representation of your client. You will learn how to move past the Discovery and expand the information you have to lay the […]
Following the initial meet up we will now have an open discussion about the NAPD 10 principles of sustainability and how they show up in our work spaces. Join us for a discussion of the wellness and sustainability in the […]
