Investigator Meetup - 04/05/2024 2:00 EST, 1:00 CST - Open Chat
2024-04-05 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-4-5-2024-open-chat/
Hey Investigators,
We understand how things can get stressful, and we’re here to make it better. Our meetup? It’s more of an open conversation—no strict agenda. It’s Friday, a perfect day to let off steam! Bring your complaints, quirks, and successes. Let’s hang out!
Come join us,
Jon

Transforming Public Defense: Redefining Our Culture, Sustaining Ourselves, Centering Our Clients
2024-04-09 12:00 - 2024-04-12 12:00 (America/New_York) | Delamar Hotel, 615 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI, United States
April 9-12, 2024
Traverse City, Michigan Delamar Hotel
March 6 deadline on Room block rate $134 (plus taxes and fees). Click here to reserve rooms. or call 231-947-3700 and reference group code NAPD0424
Pricing before Feb 20, 2024 $700 NAPD Members, $800 Non Members
Pricing Feb 21 and beyond $800 NAPD Members, $900 Non Members
Need help with this registration process? Watch this video.
Scholarship Application – Due March 1
Check out the current schedule – still developing
Client centered public defense systems recognize that redefining our culture and building systems to support the sustainability and wellbeing of their teams is critical. This leads to higher quality representation, increased retention, and greater recruiting success.
This conference will model an approach to public defense gatherings creating space for the participants to renew their commitment to the work, network and share ideas, and begin drafting plans to bring sustainable, practical solutions back to their organizations.
This conference will focus on the following areas:

Cultivating a culture around wellbeing
Handling challenges related to culture change
Responding to microaggressions and implicit bias
Healing from racial trauma
Developing structured crisis debriefings
Addressing physical and psychological safety in the workplace
Managing toxic workplaces
Creating and maintaining boundaries
Shifting the mindset and adding structure and purpose to self-care
Implementing NAPD’s “10 Principles for Creating Sustainability in Public Defense“

After the conference, we will continue to work together to share progress on our plans and provide support for each other.
NAPD Events and Cancellation Policy

Join us for the April 2024 edition of the RACIAL JUSTICE MEETUP!
2024-04-09 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/join-us-for-the-april-2024-edition-of-the-racial-justice-meetup/
We will be led by guest meetup speaker, Bahar Mirhosseni. Bahar will lead us in discussion about public defense, racial justice, and SWANA communities. You definitely don’t want to miss this!

The meetup agenda, speaker bio, and reminders will be posted on the listserv.

Be sure that you don’t miss a Racial Justice Meetup (every second Tuesday of the month) or our discussions by adding our calendar and joining the listserv.

See you there!

Investigator Supervisor meetup
2024-04-10 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup/
Supervisors, leaders and senior investigators
Please join us next Wednesday for our monthly meetup, bring your concerns, issues and successes!
See you then!

Investigator Meetup - Open Chat
2024-04-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-open-chat-2/

Social Work Meetup TUESDAY Edition on Beginnings and Endings
2024-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-work-meetup-tuesday-edition-on-beginnings-and-endings/
Beginnings and endings of client meetings are a critical part of the relationship building process and help provide supportive closure to the end of the relationship when a case concludes. This intentionality is critical in our work but we do not often talk about it. This meetup will be an open discussion of what we say and how we introduce ourselves when meeting clients for the first time to develop mitigation, and how we promote closure and discuss the end of our working relationship together when the case concludes. Join this special Tuesday meetup!
Stephanne 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.

Social Worker Supervisors Discussion
2024-04-16 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-supervisors-discussion/
This is the next monthly discussion of supervisors of social workers, dispositional advocates, mitigation specialists, social work interns, alternative sentencing specialists, and others performing the supervisory role for those in the field.
Facilitated by:
Kevin Bishop, LCSW, Social Worker Coordinator with The Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (CO)
Michael E. Moore, LMSW, Social Work Supervisor with The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Practice (NY)
Claudia Dunne, LICSW, Director of Social Work & Private Social Service Vendors, Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), CPCS (MA).

Investigator Meetup - Open Chat
2024-04-19 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-open-chat-3/

Virtual Event - Mastering Public Defense Workloads Strategies: Through Practical Learning Labs
2024-04-19 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/virtual-event-mastering-public-defense-strategies-through-practical-learning-labs-2/
Featuring (in alphabetical order)
Robert Boruchowitz, Professor at Seattle University School of Law and Former Director of The Defender Association
Heather Cessna, Executive Director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services
Kawan Clinton, Deputy Attorney in Charge of Manhattan Criminal Defense Practice at the Legal Aid Society
Danny Engelberg, Chief District Defender, New Orleans
Mary Fox, Missouri State Public Defender Director
Molly Gilbert, Investigator & President of a Union Chapter of both Line Attorneys and Staff, KCDPD/SEIU, Seattle, WA
Stephen Hanlon
Mano Raju, San Francisco Public Defender
The National Association for Public Defense is proud to present a comprehensive 90-minute program designed to enhance your knowledge and skills in the field. Through a unique learning lab model, our expert presenters will deliver concise 10–15-minute demonstrations, providing you with practical insights and strategies for effective public defense. Note: There will be two-40 minute sessions.
Join us as we dive into the intricacies of the profession, equipping you with valuable “how-to” techniques that can transform the way you navigate the boardrooms, courtroom, budget presentations, and more. From preparing compelling written press releases to leveraging the newly released workload study and data to increase capacity and/or funding, this program promises to empower you with the tools necessary for success.
Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your career in public defense. Register now for our immersive learning lab experience: “Mastering Public Defense Strategies.”
NAPD is committed to supporting members as they develop responses to the ongoing crises of excessive workload, threats to independence, inadequate compensation, and staff attrition. The publication of the new National Public Defense Workload Study provides a great opportunity to transform the conversation about public defense and can be a catalyst for significant change.
As NAPD said when the study was released, this milestone “study gives public defenders across the country, including in your community, a tool for evaluating current personnel needs. When compared to local data, the study’s recommendations are likely to show that the demands of mass criminalization far outstrip the supply of available defenders.”
NAPD’s Workload Committee is organizing this Learning Lab to provide defenders an opportunity to discuss how to use the Study to advocate for additional funding and for the expansion of diversion programs that can reduce the demand for appointed counsel. Topics for discussion will include how to develop and present a budget request, how to support requests for additional funding, how to work with community partners to develop political support, and how to prepare op-eds and press releases about key elements of defenders’ needs. In addition, there will be discussion on how to determine whether and when to declare unavailability to accept additional cases and how to prepare for possible motions or other litigation related to workload. There will be plenty of opportunities to share ideas in small group settings and to request assistance from Workload Committee members after the Learning Lab ends.
The Workload Committee members include current and former defender managers from across the country from a variety of types of defender programs and are familiar with NAPD policy statements and national standards, including the ABA’s Eight Guidelines of Public Defense Related to Excessive Workloads. They have offered to provide advice to defenders facing workload challenges.
Learning Lab Format:
This 90-minute program will have two 40-minute sessions. The model being utilized is a learning lab. Presenters will provide a 10–15-minute presentation that provides participants with a “how-to” demonstration. A learning lab can be defined as a hands-on interactive session where participants actively engage in practical exercises or experiments to enhance their learning experience.

DEI advocates, JOIN US our April 2024 edition of the DEIJ+ MEETUP!
2024-04-24 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/dei-advocates-join-us-our-april-2024-edition-of-the-deij-meetup/
We will be led by meetup speaker, Christina Tavares. Christina will lead us in a candid conversation about DEI work – Naming It, Working Through It, & Keeping Community. Come ready to engage and brainstorm! You’ll regret missing it!

The meetup agenda, speaker bio, and reminders will be posted on the listserv.

Be sure that you don’t miss a Racial Justice Meetup (every fourth Wednesday of the month) or our discussions by adding our calendar and joining the listserv.

Not on the listserv? Send your request to be added to the DEIJ listserv to BGT, DEIJ Coordinator, at Brittanygt@publicdefenders.us.

See you soon, DEIJ!

Investigator Meetup - Open Chat
2024-04-26 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-open-chat-4/

Social Worker Meet-Up: Social Work Meetup on Participatory Defense
2024-05-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meet-up-social-work-meetup-on-participatory-defense/
Need help with this registration process? Watch this video.
Have you heard of or used participatory defense? Check out this brief video overview by Raj Jayadev that explains the importance of participatory defense and how it can empower families and community members in court with their loved one. https://youtu.be/3o-2K0FuQEE?si=MYKrhhP0qwzV5SOX During our meetup we will talk about participatory defense, suggesting ways we might use this and how social biographies and inclusion of family and community members can be helpful for the mitigation process.
Stephanne 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.

Investigator Meetup - Open Chat
2024-05-03 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-open-chat-5/

The Changemakers Forum: NAPD Strategic Exchange
2024-05-07 - 2024-05-10 | Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, 275 East 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 84111
May 7 (noon start) – May 10 (1 pm end time), 2024
Applications have closed – We will make selections by Feb 20.
Salt Lake Legal Defender Association
275 East 200 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Audience – This event is open to innovators and leaders of all types. We are looking for a wide variety of experiences in public defense through our application process. If this event sounds like something you’d like to be a part of – you are someone we are looking for. Please apply to join us.
The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) cordially invites innovators and leaders in public defense to our strategic leadership Forum. This event will provide a platform to discuss and address the most pressing challenges facing the field of public defense today, such as workloads, retention, independence, and other key issues defined in the ABA’s newly revised 10 principles.
We’re reinventing the conventional institute format to create an interactive, collaborative experience. While we’ll still host a few critical plenaries, we’re excited to introduce two fresh formats.

Spark Presentations: Engage with thought leaders as they share their insights and innovative ideas in 5-10 minute, impactful talks. This is your chance to hear directly from those in the trenches about strategies and solutions they have found effective.
Open Space Sessions: A participatory and organic approach where attendees are invited to brainstorm and create actionable plans for the issues they are most passionate about. These sessions will foster dynamic discussions and collaboration, promoting a creative exchange of ideas that will inform and inspire.

Strategic Action Planning and Expert Consultations:
To ensure that the insights gained don’t merely remain theoretical, the forum will also include guidance from experts to assist in crafting executable plans. Attendees will not only gain knowledge but will leave with well-defined, actionable strategies, bridging the divide between conceptual understanding and real-world applicability. This holistic approach guarantees that our Forum isn’t just another conference—it’s a launchpad for effective and meaningful initiatives in public defense.
Registration and Cost
In an effort to democratize participation, we kindly ask all attendees to cover their own registration and travel costs. This approach enables us to focus our resources on providing a high-quality event and generating maximum value for all participants.
Nevertheless, we remain committed to inclusivity and ensuring that all who wish to participate have the opportunity. For this reason, we are pleased to offer scholarships for individuals who wish to present a Spark presentation or who may not be able to afford to attend..
The NAPD Leadership Forum is more than an event – it is an opportunity for leaders in public defense to come together to confront our greatest challenges, foster collaboration, and drive meaningful change. We look forward to your participation and to shaping the future of public defense together.

Investigator Supervisor meetup
2024-05-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup-2/

Meetup Investigators - Open chat
2024-05-10 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-inv-6/
Hey Investigators,
We understand how things can get stressful, and we’re here to make it better. Our meetup? It’s more of an open conversation—no strict agenda. It’s Friday, a perfect day to let off steam! Bring your complaints, quirks, and successes. Let’s hang out!
Come join us,
Jon
JONATHAN 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 160 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/).
He 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 CaseMap 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.
He 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.

Social Work Meetup: Collateral (Character) Letters of Support
2024-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-sw-collateral/
This meetup will focus our discussion on collateral letters of support and what we use to shape them, how we request them, and what guidance, information, encouragement, or support we use in working with family, friends, community members, and loved ones who we ask to create collateral letters of support or character letters. If you have examples of something standard you use, please bring it to share!
Stephanne Cline Thornton, Social Work Training & Resources Coordinator
Stephanne 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.

Meetup INV - Tracers database demo
2024-05-17 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-inv-tracers-database-demo/
The folks from Tracers have agreed to join our meetup this Friday to show us what their database can do.
Here’s their description:
Who We Are
Tracers is a premier data provider with 23 years of expertise. Tracers supplies
businesses with data and intelligence that are essential for success in the ever-involving information age.
Efficient Processes
Tracers reduces busy work, speeds up investigations and helps lower research costs. Proven, streamlined solutions that address your operational data problems, saving you both time and money.
Data
We manage one of the largest repositories of public and private data, with billions of records aggregated from thousands of different sources. Providing access to billions of records with more than 50 terabytes of data from over 6,000 different sources.
Come Join us,
Jon

Social Worker Supervisors Discussion on Training
2024-05-21 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/sw-supv-training/
This supervisor discussion is for supervisors or social workers, sentencing advocates, mitigation specialists, dispositional advocates, social work interns, and others in similar roles being supervised in defense-based work. The topic this month is on training.
Facilitated by: Kevin Bishop, LCSW, Social Worker Coordinator with The Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (CO); Michael E. Moore, LMSW, Social Work Supervisor with The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Practice (NY); and Claudia Dunne, LICSW, Director of Social Work & Private Social Service Vendors, Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), CPCS (MA).

DEI advocates, JOIN US our May 2024 edition of the DEIJ+ MEETUP!
2024-05-22 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for the May 2024 edition of the DEIJ meetup tomorrow, May 22, 2024 at 1 p.m. (est) / 12 p.m. (cst) / 11 a.m. (mt) / 10 a.m. (pst)!

We will be led by guest meetup speaker, Arlene Anderson. Arlene will lead our meetup in a presentation entitled An Exploration of AANHPI Month, DEI, & Public Defense.

Meetup materials and Zoom link will be shared on the DEIJ listserv the day of the event.

Are you a DEI professional or a member of your DEI committee and looking for community? Join our listserv by sending a request to BGT at brittanygt@publicdefenders.us.

See you there!

Richard Ramirez (aka the “Night Stalker”): A Neurocriminological and Forensic Psychological Perspective
2024-05-23 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/richard-ramirez-aka-the-night-stalker/
Richard Ramirez (aka the “Night Stalker”) was considered one of the most sadistic serial killers in American history. This training will examine the potential prenatal and postnatal neurobiopsychosocial factors that could have played a role in this case. Further, discussions will center on how neurobiopsychosocial information can be used to better understand complex criminal behaviors by using this case as an example. Implications for screening, intervention, and prevention strategies with current and future complex criminal cases will be explored through a neurocriminological and forensic psychological lens. This training is intended for educational purposes only and will not sensationalize any aspects of the crimes committed by this individual. Other related topics discussed throughout this training include crime scene behavior, problematic sexual behaviors, sadistic fantasy, prenatal and childhood trauma history, birth defects, poor parental and family modeling, attachment problems, head trauma, substance abuse, violent pornography viewing, satanic worshipping, animal abuse, and school problems to name a few. Empirically based research findings will be highlighted throughout this training.
Speaker –
Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), confabulation, suggestibility, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth fire setting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Neuroscience and the Law, Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. In 2023, Jerrod completed a diabetes care and education certificate from Central Arizona College. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing his fifth master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. Jerrod has also conducted over 200 workshops, webinars, and on-demand trainings for various organizations and professional and student audiences. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters, and recently, co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod has also been quoted in various magazines, newspapers, and other professional outlets. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

Investigator Meetup: Open Chat
2024-05-24 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-inv-7/

Social Worker Meetup: The Components of Competency
2024-05-29 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-the-components-of-competency/
Black’s Law Dictionary defines competency as “Duly qualified; answering all requirements; adequate; suitable; sufficient; capable; legally fit.” But competency when related to our work as social workers, mitigation specialists, and sentencing advocates is not so cut and dry. Some jurisdictions have lengthy waits for competency restoration programs, and sometimes competency restoration seems arbitrary. This meetup will talk about how we become attuned to issues of competency, what happens when competency is raised by attorneys in the jurisdictions where we work, what our role is, and what happens afterwards. Bring your knowledge and experience to this discussion!
Stephanne 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 Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator for NAPD, 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.

Meetup Investigator - Open Chat
2024-05-31 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/template-meetup-inv-8/
Hey Investigators,
We understand how things can get stressful, and we’re here to make it better. Our meetup? It’s more of an open conversation—no strict agenda. It’s Friday, a perfect day to let off steam! Bring your complaints, quirks, and successes. Let’s hang out!
See you Friday,
Jon

The Clarence Darrow/David Baldus Death Penalty College & Intellectual Disability Track
2024-06-04 13:00 - 2024-06-08 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Iowa City Law School, 130 Byington Rd, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United States
June 4-8, 2024. Starting at 1 pm on the 4th and ending at noon on the 8th.
Pricing before April 1, 2024 $950 NAPD Members, $1050 Non Members
Pricing April 2 and beyond $1150 NAPD Members, $1300 Non Members
Need help with this registration process? Watch this video.
Scholarship Application – Due April 15
Current Draft of the Agenda
Room Block at Hyatt Place Iowa City Downtown/University Hotel $107 plus taxes and fees / May 3 deadline
Link to reserve hotel room. Phone Reservations: call the Central Reservations Office at: 1-800-233-1234 and reference the NAPD 2024 Conference or Group Code: G-FNAG
Need help with this registration process? Watch this video.

Participants spend the week working on their own pending cases as well as learning from some of the most prestigious capital defense trainers in the country. Each day, participants engage in various learning activities, including small group sessions, lectures, role playing, and strategy demonstrations for guilt/innocence and penalty phases. Solo practitioners without an active case are welcome to attend.
Small group sessions are designed to provide constructive feedback and encouragement while also brainstorming the case and doing actual case preparation for the capital trial. These sessions are followed by lectures and demonstrations for smaller groups or plenary sessions for all participants. Evenings are primarily unscheduled, allowing participants to explore all that Iowa City has to offer.
The program is held in honor of the late Professor David Baldus, whose thorough, groundbreaking capital punishment research significantly impacted the death penalty defense community and legal community as a whole. Professor Baldus is best known for “the Baldus study,” cited by the United States Supreme Court in McCleskey v. Kemp, although his research extends far beyond.
Intensive Intellectual Disability Track
Intellectual disability is an absolute bar to the death penalty, making this a necessary area of investigation in every capital case. There are no exceptions.
This intensive training introduces participants to the nuances of investigating and litigating intellectual disability claims and features strategies for overcoming common barriers to identifying and effectively presenting evidence of ID. This course is geared towards intermediate and experienced capital practitioners. Beginners are welcome to attend, but the material is advanced.
It is our mission to ensure that no one with intellectual disability is ever executed. We are dedicated to equipping all members of the defense team with the tools needed to discover, investigate, and effectively litigate intellectual disability.
Intellectual disability can be difficult to detect. Often, clients go to great lengths to hide their disability due to shame and embarrassment, even when it can save their life. Unlike common stereotypes, those with intellectual disability cannot be identified based on their appearance or superficial interactions. Clients may appear “normal” in the context of school, work, family or when we first encounter them as the defendant in a capital prosecution. Education is crucial to overcome these stereotypes.
This training will offer the most up-to-date legal and scientific information concerning ID and provide hands-on opportunities to practice skills needed to screen effectively for ID. Students will learn how to work with mental-health experts and how to develop and provide the detailed life-history information needed for an effective evaluation. Instructors will include psychologists, lawyers, and mitigation specialists who are experts on the subject.
Comments from past participants –
Without question this was the best conference / educational trainings I have ever attended. The quality of the experts and the access that we had to them was unprecedented in my experience. The small group sessions were so helpful. I also love that this is not designed to be a one and done event. The opportunity to return and continue to work on cases is really helpful.
The ID conference played a major role in my ability to formulate a compelling, fact based motion as to my client’s ID issues and adaptive functioning deficits. It was also beneficial to be able to explain the various IQ tests, how they work, what they test for and how the Flynn Effect impacts standardized testing. I was able to compare and contrast those issues with the State and reach and the outcome of death being taken off the table.
OUTSTANDING! Lifechanging information and access to experts
I have been to many Capital trainings. this one has been one of the best for getting useful information relevant and applicable to our cases.
These were, by far, the most professional, relevant and motivating training sessions I have ever been a part of. My practice has already improved greatly, and I feel that I have tools I need as I transition into a capital practice.
Great location. I loved the student hosts. I felt this training was for people serious about the work and not just interested in traveling to a conference. Great opportunity to hear from experts and to gain insight from more experienced lawyers.
This was an INCREDIBLE conference. Every expert, attorney speaker, leader of our small groups, etc. brought so much knowledge, insight, and experience. It was packed with content–I filled up an entire notebook and sent daily emails reporting back to the team I was working on with information and to-dos immediately applicable to cases.
NAPD Events and Cancellation Policy
By registering for this training, I am affirming that today I am neither a prosecutor, nor attending this training with the purpose of aiding the prosecution of any criminally accused. I further affirm that I am dedicated to the ideals of the criminal defense practitioner, and am committed to the causes of effective and zealous defense of those charged with crimes, the protection and assertion of constitutional rights afforded the criminally accused, and the recognition and preservation of human dignity of those charged with crimes. I further affirm that my use of the information provided by this training will not be used by me in any manner which would impugn the above set out ideals.

Join us for the June 2024 edition of the RACIAL JUSTICE MEETUP!
2024-06-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for the June 2024 edition of the RACIAL JUSTICE MEETUP on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 1 p.m. (est) / 12 p.m. (cst) / 11 a.m. (mt) / 10 a.m. (pst)!

We will be led by guest meetup speaker, Brittney Williams, LMSW-C. Brittney will lead our meetup in a presentation entitled Public Defense Practice with LGBTQIA+ Clients. Don’t miss this meetup as we celebrate PRIDE Month and honor both our LGBTQIA+ clients and colleagues!

Reminders and Zoom link will be provided on the racial justice listserv.

Are you a NAPD member and want to join the racial justice listserv? Email BGT at brittanygt@publicdefenders.us to be added.

Social Work Meetup: A Discussion About Testifying
2024-06-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-sw-testifying/
Do you testify in court cases as an expert or about mitigation at sentencing? Have you thought about what it might be like? This meetup will discuss the pros and cons, successes and pitfalls of testifying in court. Led by members of SAGE Mitigation (Sentencing Advocacy Group of Evanston) including founder, Betsy Wilson, this will be an enlightening, informative, and engaging conversation about testimony!
Betsy Wilson is a founder of the Sentencing Advocacy Group of Evanston, where she leads a multidisciplinary team of sentencing advocates and record specialists. SAGE conducts mitigation investigations in federal and state and capital, juvenile-life-sentence, and non-capital cases throughout the country. Betsy has been dedicated to capital defense and mitigation for her entire legal career and has conducted sentencing investigations in more than 120 cases, including more than 70 capital cases. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1998, she worked as a trial attorney at the New York Capital Defender Office representing clients in capital cases from arraignment through disposition. Betsy has developed expertise in mitigation investigations involving complex trauma, intellectual disabilities, mental illness, drug dependency, exposure to toxic substances and toxic environments, and gang affiliation. She spends an embarrassing amount of time tracking her airline and hotel status.

Supervisors, leaders and senior investigators
2024-06-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-inv-supv-2024-06/
Please join us tomorrow for our monthly meetup, bring your concerns, issues and successes!
See you then!
Jon

Meetup Investigator - Open Chat
2024-06-14 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-investigator-open-chat-6-14/

Social Work Supervisors Discussion on Training Continued
2024-06-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/meetup-sw-supv-training-2/
The Social Work Supervisors Discussion will continue to talk about training this month, and possibly move into the realm of discussing caseloads and caseload standards, so be sure to join and contribute what’s happening in your space!
Facilitated by: Kevin Bishop, LCSW, Social Worker Coordinator with The Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (CO); Michael E. Moore, LMSW, Social Work Supervisor with The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Practice (NY); and Claudia Dunne, LICSW, Director of Social Work & Private Social Service Vendors, Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), CPCS (MA).
