The Jacksonville Bar Association’s ONE program, Public Defender Pro Bono Opportunities is offering appointments as special assistant public defenders to private practitioners.
Those who participate will enlist in the free, eight-hour Continuing Legal Education seminar on April 17 and afterward accept the assignment of a criminal case.
The program is open to local attorneys who seek to help an indigent client in a criminal matter and satisfy pro bono hours. You can enroll in the 2015 CLE via email [email protected] no later than close of business on April 8.
The CLE is a curriculum coordinated by Kate Bedell, an assistant public defender and director of County Court. The April 17 seminar will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Bedell is preparing separate one-hour approved CLE courses on the following areas:
• Public Defender’s Office procedures
• Misdemeanor offenses
• Driving under the influence
• Probation options for misdemeanors
• Criminal procedure
• Motion practice and preserving the record
• Ethics and professionalism
After completing the CLE that will satisfy your training in criminal law, you will be appointed as a special assistant public defender. Bedell will then assign you a misdemeanor case to manage through completion.
During that time, you have access to all legal support resources available at the Public Defender’s Office, including investigations, paralegal and clerical. Special assistants are not limited to one case. When your first case concludes, request another.
Public Defender Matt Shirk said the program, which began in 2010, was loosely based on one in Miami-Dade County. Each year, the office appoints 10-20 special assistants. He said the program has been positive for Duval County and The Jacksonville Bar Association.
“It provides a client with the focused attention of one attorney who is not juggling a large criminal caseload, it relieves taxpayers by strengthening the misdemeanor attorney pool at the PD Office with contributions from pro bono lawyers, it enhances the criminal Bar in Jacksonville and it allows participants to fulfill pro bono hours while simultaneously protecting the constitutional rights of us all,” Shirk said.
Since 2010, more than 50 local attorneys have been trained in criminal law who later served as special assistants.
Thousands of indigent clients have benefitted from this program because it has dramatically improved the attention to their cases that lawyers can provide when they have smaller caseloads.
Consider this your formal invitation to help an indigent client. Email [email protected] by the end of day, April 8, to reserve a seat at the 2015 Public Defender Pro Bono Opportunities CLE.
Watch this column in coming weeks for additional information, including the schedule of CLE presentations to take place April 17.
You will also hear from a past participant in program about the meaningful experiences he had as a special assistant public defender.
For information on opportunities throughout the 4th Judicial Circuit, attorneys are encouraged to contact Kathy Para, Chair of The JBA Pro Bono Committee, at [email protected].