Nationwide Training in Public Defense Going to USC School of Law

PRESS RELEASE
For more information, contact: Bill Wright, Director of Communications
Phone: 202-456-0620 x231; Email: [email protected]

(Washington, D.C., June 1, 2015) -- More than 40 emerging leaders in public defense will be going to the University of South Carolina School of Law for intensive training June 4 – 6.  The program is being led by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), a national organization advancing equal justice by promoting excellence in public defense and civil legal aid. Also sponsoring the event are the University of South Carolina School of Law, the American Council of Chief Defenders, and the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense (SCCID).

The National Defender Leadership Institute's Nuts and Bolts of Leadership and Management is targeted to defenders who are transitioning into management responsibilities within their offices or are newly appointed to leadership positions. The training includes workshops on client-centered management, team-building and managing conflict, managing multigenerational teams, and more.

“Developing the next generation of skilled public defenders is crucial to our justice system and a priority of NLADA,” said Jo-Ann Wallace, president and CEO of NLADA.  “Programs like Nuts and Bolts produce not just leaders of defender offices but co-leaders of our criminal justice systems.”

The National Defender Leadership Institute is a key element of a broad training, networking and research effort at NLADA designed to help public defense systems provide quality representation for those who cannot afford counsel.  Attorneys from South Carolina to Guam—including directors and deputy directors of public defender offices—will convene in Columbia to gain effective tools and strategies for managing defender offices.

The faculty will be comprised of experienced public defense leaders from throughout the United States.  The attendees will also hear from SC Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, SC Chief Justice-elect Costa M. Pleicones, USC School of Law Dean Robert M. Wilcox, and NLADA president and CEO Jo-Ann Wallace.

Patton Adams, executive director of SCCID, noted, “We are pleased to co-host this diverse group of emerging leaders. It highlights our strong commitment to well-trained leaders and well-managed indigent defense services.”