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OJD Week in Review: June 17 – 21

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Greetings and happy Friday!  This week there is a new tip, a case law update, and the normal reminders.  And because July 2 is rapidly approaching, please note there is still time to apply to become an N.C. State Bar-certified juvenile defender!  If you are interested, please visit the N.C. State Bar Legal Specialization page.  We want to grow the N.C. juvenile defender community!

Case Law Update

Back in January of this year, the Court of Appeals filed an opinion, In the Matter of E.M.  The decision on the case had been stayed pending the State’s petition for discretionary review, which was denied last Friday.  Please be advised that based on this new case law, when faced with any amount of evidence of mental health/developmental disabilities/substance abuse, the trial court has a statutory duty to refer a juvenile to the area mental health services director for a multidisciplinary evaluation.  To review the opinion, please check our Case Summaries List here.  This case can be found in section 15 – Dispositions: Sentencing.

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Tip of the Week – Was the Petition Properly Amended

The court may permit an amendment to the petition when it does not change the nature of the offense charged (N.C.G.S. §7B-2400).  When the amendment changes the nature of the offense, it is a jurisdictional issue that cannot be waived.  So, if you agree to admit to a charge that is not a lesser included offense, the prosecutor needs to dismiss the original petition and file a new petition with the agreed upon new offense.  This doesn’t have to be complicated and can happen in court.  Make sure the court counselor signs and approves the new petition for filing and then you can waive notice and proceed with the admission to the new agreed upon offense.

Job and Fellowship Opportunities

Today is your last chance to apply for the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)‘s executive director position.  The executive director will be responsible for fundraising, strategic planning, communicating with board members, supervising staff, and ensuring that the organization adheres to its intersectional and anti-racist practices and principles in its internal operations.  To see the full job description, please go here.  To apply or if you have questions, please contact NJJN here.

Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys (UJDA) is seeking applicants for an attorney to join their delinquency defense practice to assist in the representation of young people charged with delinquent offenses resulting in involvement in the juvenile justice system.  UJDA is a small firm whose attorneys collectively have more than 80 years of experience handling juvenile delinquency cases.  This is an excellent opportunity to join a sophisticated nationally recognized delinquency defense firm and work in a dynamic, expanding, and team-oriented atmosphere.  Qualified candidates should have general knowledge of delinquency law and/or criminal law with excellent written and oral communication.  They should also have working knowledge of advocacy techniques, principles of law and their applications, and criminal trial procedures and the rules of evidence.  Qualified candidates should be good standing members of the Utah State Bar.  UJDA values the strength of having a diverse and inclusive work environment, and strongly believes that everyone should feel welcomed and part of our community.  The application deadline is July 5, 2019.  Applications will be reviewed upon receipt, and the position is open until filled.  For more information about the position or the application process, please see details here or contact Monica Diaz by email.

Training

Registration is now open for the 2019 Parent Attorney and Juvenile Defender conferences.  The Parent Attorney Conference will be held Thursday, Aug. 8 and the Juvenile Defender Conference will be held Friday, Aug. 9, and both would begin at 8:30 a.m. each day.  Both conferences, cosponsored by the School of Government and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, will be held at the School of Government on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, and offer approximately six hours of CLE credit.  The Parent Attorney Conference provides training for attorneys, who represent parents in abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings.  The Juvenile Defender Conference provides training for attorneys who represent children in delinquency proceedings.  Please feel free to download the Juvenile Defender Conference agenda here and the Parent Attorney Conference agenda here.  If you have any questions, please contact Program Manager Kate Jennings, or if you have questions about the course content, please contact Program Attorney Austine Long.

The deadline for online registration of the 2019 Defender Trial School is Tuesday, June 25.  This event, cosponsored by the School of Government and the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services, will be held Monday, July 8, through Friday, July 12, at the School of Government on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.  Defender Trial School participants will use their own cases to develop a cohesive theory of defense at trial and apply that theory through all stages of trial, including voir dire, opening and closing arguments, and direct and cross-examination. The program will offer roughly 29 hours of general CLE credit.  The Defender Trial School is open to public defenders and a limited number of private attorneys who perform a significant amount of appointed work.  IDS has expanded the number of fellowships available to cover the registration fee, but please note there is a limited number of fellowships.  If you have any questions or would like additional information, please email Kate Jennings or Professor John Rubin or call 919-962-3287/919-962-2498.  To register, find a fellowship application, see the agenda, or find any other information, please check out the course page here.

TRAINING--DEVELOPMENT

That ends our end-of-week report.  Please make sure to subscribe to the OJD blog if you haven’t already and head over to our OJD Twitter and Facebook pages as well to get updates, relevant articles, and other juvenile defense-related content throughout the week!

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