Happy Friday, Juvenile Defender Community! This week we’ve got a new job post along with previously posted jobs that are closing this weekend, a new tip, and reminders for upcoming training. And for people already practicing law, please visit the N.C. State Bar Legal Specialization page if you are interested in specializing in juvenile defense and get your application in before July 2! We would love for you to join our N.C. juvenile defender family!
Tip of the Week – Building Trust
Investing time is the single most important strategy for building trust and rapport with your client. You need to listen and ask questions without judgment, and explain why you need to ask certain questions. Allow your client the opportunity, and encourage him/her to ask questions as well. Be sure to explain to your client how your role is different from other adults s/he has interacted with (i.e. attorney/client privilege). And most importantly – never make a promise you can’t keep. If you say you’re going to do something – do it!
Job and Fellowship Opportunities
Tomorrow will be the last day to apply for the North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System (NCCRED) executive director position! The Executive Director will provide leadership and manage all aspects of the organization, including coordinating and filing reports, developing relationships with potential partners, promoting and developing research on racial disparities, and supervising interns and contract staff. The ideal candidate will have a passion for racial justice, experience in criminal justice reform and all aspects of nonprofit organizational management, excellent communication skills and comfort with managing conflict. Please find the full job description here. To apply please submit resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to James E. Williams, Jr. Please include email subject line “NCCRED Director Position.”
The deadline to apply for the staff attorney position at the Office of the Appellate Division Staff of the North Carolina Court of Appeals is Sunday, June 2. The duties of the staff attorney will include reviewing appeals, preparing memorandums for the Court, summarizing and recommending disposition of petitions for prerogative writs and more. The ideal candidate will have experience conducting legal research and analysis and drafting appellate opinions and knowledge of N.C. General Statutes, N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals case law and some federal statutes and case law. To apply and find the full job description, please go here.
The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) is currently seeking an executive director. The executive director will be responsible for fundraising, strategic planning, communicating with board members and supervising staff, and ensuring that the organization adheres to its intersectional and anti-racist practices and principles in its internal operations. The deadline to apply for this position will be June 21. To see the full job description, please go here. To apply or if you have questions, please contact NJJN here.
Training
The required pre-registration deadline for the 2019 Summer Criminal Law Update Webinar will be 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 5. This webinar, which will take place on June 7 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., will cover recent criminal law decisions issued by the North Carolina appellate courts and U.S. Supreme Court and will highlight significant criminal law legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly. School of Government criminal law experts John Rubin and Phil Dixon will discuss a wide range of issues affecting felony and misdemeanor cases in the North Carolina state courts. The webinar, broadcast live from the School of Government, includes a dynamic visual presentation, live audio, and interactive Q&A. This webinar is open to public defenders, private attorneys who handle or are interested in pursuing indigent criminal defense work, and other court personnel who handle criminal cases. The webinar will offer 1.5 hours of CLE credit and qualifies for N.C. State Bar criminal law specialization credit. The registration fee for private assigned counsel, contract attorneys, and other non-IDS employees is $75.00. There is no registration fee for IDS state employees, thanks to support from the Office of Indigent Defense Services. If you have questions related to webinar content, please contact John Rubin at 919.962.2498 or rubin@sog.unc.edu. If you have questions about logistics, please Jessica O’Sullivan at 919.962.9754 or josullivan@sog.unc.edu.
Please save the dates for the 2019 Parent Attorney and Juvenile Defender conferences. The Parent Attorney Conference will be held Thursday, Aug. 8 and the Juvenile Defender Conference will be held Friday, Aug. 9. Both conferences, cosponsored by the School of Government and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, will be held at the School of Government on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, and offer approximately six hours of CLE credit. The Parent Attorney Conference provides training for attorneys, who represent parents in abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings. The Juvenile Defender Conference provides training for attorneys who represent children in delinquency proceedings. If you have any questions, please contact Program Manager Kate Jennings, or if you have questions about the course content, please contact Program Attorney Austine Long.
The online registration deadline for the 2019 Defender Trial School, cosponsored by the School of Government and the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services, will be June 25. The event will be held Monday, July 8, through Friday, July 12, at the School of Government on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Defender Trial School participants will use their own cases to develop a cohesive theory of defense at trial and apply that theory through all stages of trial, including voir dire, opening and closing arguments, and direct and cross-examination. The program will offer roughly 29 hours of general CLE credit. The Defender Trial School is open to public defenders and a limited number of private attorneys who perform a significant amount of appointed work. IDS has expanded the number of fellowships available to cover the registration fee, but please note there is a limited number of fellowships. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please email Kate Jennings or Professor John Rubin or call 919-962-3287/919-962-2498. To register, find a fellowship application, see the agenda, or find any other information, please check out the course page here.
The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR)‘s Youth in Custody Certificate Program will be held July 22 – 26 at Georgetown University in partnership with Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. This training is designed to help juvenile justice system leaders and partners improve outcomes for youth in custodial settings, covering critical areas including racial and ethnic disparities, family engagement, assessment, case planning, facility-based education and treatment services, reentry planning and support, and culture change.
That’s all for this last week of May, folks! Please make sure to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already and head over to Twitter and Facebook, like and follow us! Also, N.C. juvenile defenders, please contact us to have your contact info added to/removed from our listserv. Have a great weekend.
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