Calendar of MDefenders Events for Winter 2025

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JANUARY COFFEE CHAT
Date: Friday, January 17, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: K&E Cafe 


Every month, MDefenders hosts informal coffee chats in the K&E Café. Stop by for a drink (on us!), to solicit advice, or simply to enjoy time with other members of the MDefenders community.


MDEFENDERS JANUARY MONTHLY MEETING: EVIDENCE BOOTCAMP (co-sponsored by the Trial Advocacy Society)​
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location:  Hutchins Hall Room 220


Each month the MDefenders group comes together to talk and learn about subjects particular to public defenders. Join us for the first monthly meeting of the semester.  Professor Eve Brensike Primus will talk about the rules of evidence and do a mini-evidence "bootcamp," during which you will learn about a few key evidentiary rules and then practice objecting in real time to video testimony to test your knowledge of those rules.  Lunch from Curry-On will be served!​


POTLUCK SOCIAL EVENT
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Meghan’s house (check emails for address information)


Join your fellow MDefenders members for a potluck at the home of our Social Events Chair (check weekly MDefenders emails for address information). Bring any food or drinks you want and come kick off ​the new semester.


OCP PANEL EVENT: CLERKSHIPS FOR PUBLIC INTEREST STUDENTS
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 1225

Are you a public interest student interested in clerking? Join a panel of Michigan law alums to learn more about their jobs, the clerkship process, and how clerking can benefit you as a public interest student. We will also discuss how to think about loan repayment and clerking. Lunch will be served – please RSVP with the Career Services office by January 29th so they have enough food!


DIFFERENT MODELS OF INDIGENT DEFENSE: A PANEL DISCUSSION (co-sponsored by OPIS)
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 120


The day-to-day work of a public defender can look very different depending on the type of defense service provided. Join MDefenders and a panel of distinguished alumni as they discuss the differences between horizontal and vertical structures of representation, holistic models of defense, rural vs urban defense, participatory defense and community defender offices, and how the structure of defense providers impacts defenders and their clients. ​Pizza lunch will be served!


MDEFENDERS FEBRUARY MONTHLY MEETING (co-sponsored by RSL, APALSA, LLSA)​

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 1020


Each month the MDefenders group comes together to talk and learn about subjects particular to public defenders. Please join us for our February meeting where we will talk about courtroom personas and the importance of finding your advocacy style while navigating stereotypes about your race, gender, and other identity cha​racteristics.  Jerusalem Garden lunch will be served.


SOCIAL EVENT: HAPPY HOUR

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Heidelberg (215 North Main St.)


Join us for a happy hour at Heidelberg!


FEBRUARY COFFEE CHAT​
Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: K&E Cafe 


Every month, MDefenders hosts informal coffee chats in the K&E Café. Stop by for a drink (on us!), to solicit advice, or simply to enjoy time with other members of the MDefenders community.

MDEFENDERS MARCH MONTHLY MEETING (WITH ALUMNA BRANDY ROBINSON): PUBLIC DEFENDER SUCCESS STORIES

Date: Friday​, March 14​, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 1020


Each month the MDefenders group comes together to talk and learn about subjects particular to public defenders. This month we will be joined by alumna, Brandy Robinson. Brandy is a federal defender at the Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Michigan. She previously worked as a supervisor at the Neighborhood Defender Service in Detroit. She will share some public defender success stories that include various wins from both state and federal practice. She will also answer questions about why she does this work.  Jerusalem Garden lunch will be served!


GIDEON v. WAINWRIGHT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND CARD WRITING EVENT

Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 138


Join us to celebrate the birthday of Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963) – the U.S. Supreme Court case that incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to counsel against the states and held that individuals facing incarceration who are too poor to afford lawyers must receive appointed counsel. We will have cake, and we will write thank you cards to send out to MDefenders alumni who are working as public defenders in the trenches around the country.


SOCIAL EVENT: PUB TRIVIA

Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: HopCat


Join us for some pub trivia! The trivia starts at 7, so we recommend arriving a bit earlier to make sure you can play!


COURSE SELECTION ADVICE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PUBLIC DEFENSE

Date: Thursday, March 2​0, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 1020


Bring a lunch and come learn more about the different course offerings -- what classes and clinics should you take if you want to work in public defense? 2L & 3L MDefenders will share insight and advice about different classes (and the different professors who teach them), so this is your chance to ask all of those questions.  


MARCH COFFEE CHAT
Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: K&E Cafe 


Every month, MDefenders hosts informal coffee chats in the K&E Café. Stop by for a drink (on us!), to solicit advice, or simply to enjoy time with other members of the MDefenders community.


A PRIMER ON WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE SUMMER AND FALL FOR THOSE SEEKING PERMANENT PUBLIC DEFENDER JOBS
Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 138


In this session, we will talk about the 3L search for permanent public defender jobs: what to expect in the summer and fall and how best to prepare for and begin thinking about how to approach that process. This is primarily geared towards 2Ls but anyone is welcome to attend, so bring a lunch and your questions!


MDEFENDERS APRIL MONTHLY MEETING (WITH ALUMNA SAMANTHA JAFFE): GUNS & DRUGS 101  (co-sponsored by the California Law Students Association)

Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location:  Jeffries Hall Room 1020

Each month the MDefenders group comes together to talk and learn about subjects particular to public defenders. This month we will be joined by alumna, Samantha Jaffe. Sam is currently a federal defender in San Francisco and previously worked as a federal defender in San Diego. She will give members a run down on guns and weapons terminology and the basics of drugs and their sale and manufacture to prepare you to defend drug and gun cases in practice. Lunch from Ma Lou's will be served.  


HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SUMMER IN A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 138


2L and 3L MDefenders will share insight and advice on what they did to learn the most during their summer internships. ​Grab a lunch and join us with your questions.


APRIL COFFEE CHAT
Date: Friday, April 18, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: K&E Cafe 


Every month, MDefenders hosts informal coffee chats in the K&E Café. Stop by for a drink (on us!), to solicit advice, or simply to enjoy time with other members of the MDefenders community.