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Last Friday, OJD had the absolute pleasure of hosting the 2024 Western Youth Defender Forum in Concord, NC at the Cabarrus County Courthouse.
This year, our Youth Defender Forums focus on youth representation and its impact both in and out of the courtroom for defenders and our young clients. Attorneys heard presentations on Self Care as a Youth Defender and Collateral Consequences of Juvenile Adjudications in many settings including education. There was also a trial advocacy component of the training where defenders learned about authentication issues, creating a strong theory of defense, and conducting juvenile probable cause hearings. The training was also full of discussion, brainstorming, and connection amongst the defenders present.
The Western Forum would not have been possible without the support of our presenters and sponsors. We are grateful to the Cabarrus County Bar Association for their generous support and for providing lunch. The lunch break gave an opportunity for defenders to connect and discuss issues with other attorneys in their region. We are also thankful to Heather Mobley from the Law Offices of Heather Mobley, for her assistance in securing a location for the training and for providing an excellent presentation on Self-Care as a Youth Defender. We are also grateful to Assistant Public Defender Veronika Monteleone from the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s office and to Managing Attorney Jen Story and Staff Attorney Hetali Ladoya of Legal Aid’s Right to Education Project. These three presenters provided a thorough and in-depth overview of the impact of juvenile adjudications for youth. For these forums, attorneys received updated OJD Quick guides and a written resource on Collateral Consequences. We are grateful to the support of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for their support in making this training and these resources possible.
Our 2024 Youth Defender Forums are not over yet! If you’re interested in attending our upcoming Forums, we will have our Central Youth Defender Forum on September 27, 2024, in Henderson, NC and our Eastern Youth Defender Forum on December 2, 2024, in Kenansville, NC. Registration will open for those trainings a little closer to their dates, but please be on the lookout for more information. We hope to see you there!