We are pleased to announce a new course offering from the School of Government, Higher-Level Felony Defense, Part 1. As the name implies, the purpose of the course is to prepare attorneys to handle more serious felony cases at the trial level. The course will take place over two sessions, with the first part taking place April 9-10 at the School of Government. The first session will offer 9 hours of CLE credit including 1 hour of ethics credit. Part II will take place in late summer or early fall of this year. (Part I is not a prerequisite to Part II, although we hope that attending both will be helpful.)
The course description and agenda for part I of the course can be viewed here. The Office of Indigent Defense Services has agreed to fund registration for all participants, including contract attorneys and private assigned counsel (although they remain responsible for the cost of their own travel, lodging, and meals other than those provided during the training).
Due to the expected level of interest, the intensive nature of the training, and limits on seating capacity, the program will be capped at 36 total participants. You must take the following steps BEFORE you can register.
If you are in a public defender’s office, you must obtain the approval of your Chief Public Defender to register. Because of limited space, each office is allotted one slot.
If you are a contract attorney or private assigned counsel, you must apply to receive a fellowship to attend. It’s short, we promise. Interested applicants should submit a paragraph to IDS Director Tom Maher, K.Maher@nccourts.org, describing how the training would help them in handling higher level felony cases, the number of jury trials they’ve tried, the most serious level of felony that they have experience handling, the percentage of their work that involves indigent criminal defense, and the county or counties in which they handle indigent defense cases. The deadline for applying for a fellowship is Monday, March 5 at 5:00pm. However, don’t wait until then! Decisions will be made on a rolling basis, and the available spaces may fill quickly.
Once you are approved by your Chief Public Defender or offered a fellowship, visit the course page at https://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/higher-level-felony-defense-part-i#!#register to register.
Please contact Toogie Hampton, Program Manager, at thampton@sog.unc.edu or 919.843.6518 or Phil Dixon, Defender Educator at dixon@sog.unc.edu or 919.966.4248.