JANUARY MDEFENDERS MONTHLY MEETING: HOW TO HANDLE A HIGH VOLUME PRACTICE & ENGAGE IN SYSTEMIC LITIGATION IN PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICES (with Alum Maddy Jennings)
Date: Friday, January 12, 2024
Time: 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 1020
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, where we will be joined by alumna, Maddy Jennings. Maddy joined the New Orleans Public Defenders initially as a Gideon’s Promise fellow, then as a staff attorney, and now, as an attorney in the Special Litigation Division. In her current role, Maddy splits her time between her own individual cases and some of the office’s broader, more systemic projects. She will join us to talk about public defense lawyering in challenging, high caseload jurisdictions and structural/systemic litigation in public defender offices. Qdoba will be served!
WELCOME BACK HAPPY HOUR
Date: Thursday, January 18th
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Ashley's
Join us for food, drinks, and celebration of another semester of MDefenders!
OFFICE HOURS WITH MOLLY KOVEL
Date: Monday, January 22, 2024
Time: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Upper Commons
Curious about working in public defense, civil rights litigation, clinical teaching, or impact litigation? Molly Kovel, a Michigan Law alumna who currently works as a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project, will be available to meet with interested students to chat and answer questions.
OFFICE HOURS WITH JESSICA GINGOLD
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Upper Commons
Curious about public defense, juvenile justice, clinical teaching, or special education advocacy? Jessica Gingold, a Michigan Law alumna who worked for a number of years as a juvenile defender and currently works as a staff attorney at Equip for Equality within their Special Education Rights Clinic, will be available to meet with interested students to chat and answer questions.
FEBRUARY MDEFENDERS MONTHLY MEETING: NON-ATTORNEY PANEL
Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Time: 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Location: Jeffries Hall Room 0220
Each month the MDefenders group comes together to talk and learn about subjects particular to public defenders. This month, we will hear from a paralegal, investigator, and social worker about their roles in a PD office and how they collaborate with attorneys. Lunch will be served!
OFFICE HOURS WITH THE MDEFENDERS BOARD
Date: February 19th, 20th, and 21st
Time: 12:00PM-3:00PM
Location: Upper Commons
Have questions about internships, clinics, journals, or all of the above? MDefenders Board members will be available in UpCo to chat and answer questions before heading off for Winter Break.
SOCIAL EVENT AT PINBALL PETE’S
Date: Thursday, February 22nd
Time: 6-8pm
Location: Pinball Pete’s
DIFFERENT MODELS OF INDIGENT DEFENSE (A PANEL DISCUSSION)
Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 218
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 guests as they discuss the differences between horizontal and vertical structures of representation, holistic models of defense, participatory defense, urban versus rural practice, and how the structure of defense provision impacts defenders and their clients. Lunch will be served!
MARCH MDEFENDERS MONTHLY MEETING: HOW TO HANDLE THE SECONDARY TRAUMA OF THE JOB AND LAST (with alum Brandy Robinson) (co-sponsored by the Black Law Students Association, the Latinx Law Students Association, and the National Lawyers Guild)
Date: Friday, March 15, 2023
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. Brandy will lead a conversation about how to address the secondary (and primary) trauma public defenders experience and how to address and cope with that trauma in order to stay in the job long term. Lunch will be served!
COURSE SELECTION ADVICE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PUBLIC DEFENSE
Date: Wednesday, March 20th
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 220
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.
APRIL MDEFENDERS MONTHLY MEETING: DISABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND PUBLIC DEFENSE (with alum Daniel Deña) (co-sponsored by the Disability Rights Organization)
Date: Friday, April 5, 2023
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 alum, Daniel Deña. Daniel is a federal defender at the Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Michigan. He previously worked as a federal defender in Brownsville, Texas and as a staff public defender at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Daniel will lead a conversation about how to navigate disabilities as a public defender -- how best to communicate with clients who have disabilities, how to advocate for accommodations/mitigation for them, and how to handle it if you yourself have disabilities for which you need accommodation.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SUMMER IN A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE (co-sponsored by the Organization of Public Interest Students)
Date: Wednesday, April 10th
Time: 11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Location: Hutchins Hall Room 220
2L and 3L MDefenders will share insight and advice on what they did to learn the most during their summer internships.