In the spring of 2012, the Office of the Public Defender will train a new group of Special Assistant Public Defenders.
The “Public Defender Pro Bono Opportunities” program offers Northeast Florida attorneys a chance to give back to the community with the support of the Office of the Public Defender.
By attending the training session and accepting one misdemeanor case, attorneys are appointed Special Assistant Public Defender (SAPD) status. Participating attorneys also gain valuable courtroom experience while providing this community service.
In addition, participating attorneys receive access to Public Defender investigative and paralegal support, as well as pro bono credit and CLE credit for Criminal Law.
This project is important to clients in need of pro bono advocacy, but it also has proven to be extremely beneficial to everyone else involved over the past three years.
Director of County Court Cynthia Hunold explains that, “To date this has been a valuable program for our community; the clients receive great attention, the SAPD gets hands-on experience, and it benefits all taxpayers because the burgeoning caseload handled by the APD’s is minimized.”
Public Defender Matt Shirk added, “When we gain new attorneys through this program, everyone benefits. The clients receive great attention from their SAPD, the participant receives valuable experience in criminal law, and the Public Defender’s Office is able to do more without additional burden to taxpayers.”
So, programs like Public Defender Pro Bono Opportunities basically make pro bono more efficient, and all participating attorneys are rightfully recognized for their contributions.
SAPD training is particularly valuable as a result of the collaboration with the Public Defender attorneys, who have different specialties and abilities in Criminal Law.
The 4th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office receives more than 42,000 cases each year, and the 75 attorneys on staff want to share their experience and resources with the legal
community.
The greater community benefits from this program as well because volunteering attorneys also share valuable knowledge and expertise to those most in need of it.
The Office of the Public Defender is at 407 N. Laura St., and the training will take place in the first floor auditorium from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The date of the training is still to be determined. Plans are under way to offer the training in late April.
Interested attorneys can contact Cynthia Hunold at [email protected] to be notified when the training date is confirmed.
For information on additional pro bono opportunities throughout the Fourth Judicial Circuit, attorneys should contact Kathy Para, Esq., Chairperson, The JBA Pro Bono Committee, [email protected]