2026 Juvenile Defender Conference and the 2026 Parent Attorney Conference

Both the 2026 Juvenile Defender Conference and the 2026 Parent Attorney Conference, co-sponsored by the UNC School of Government and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, are now open for registration.

COURSE OVERVIEW, DATES, AND LOCATION:

The Juvenile Defender Conference will be held at the School of Government on Wednesday, August 19. Anticipated topics include legal and practical information about school resource officers, custodial interrogations, child interviews, juvenile representation in more serious or complex cases, and more. A detailed agenda will be available closer to the program. For your planning purposes, we expect that the first session will begin no later than 9:00 a.m.

The Parent Attorney Conference will be held at the School of Government on Thursday, August 20. School of Government faculty and members of the Office of the Parent Defender will provide case law and legislative updates, offering practical takeaways and considerations for attorneys who represent indigent parents in juvenile abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings. Because program content will reflect recent updates in the law, a detailed agenda will be available closer to the program. For your planning purposes, we expect that the first session will begin no later than 9:00 a.m.

FEE: The registration fee for private assigned and managed assigned counsel is $225 for the Juvenile Defender Conference and $225 for the Parent Attorney Conference. There is no fee for IDS state employees.

SCHOLARSHIPS: A limited number of scholarships are available for private assigned and managed assigned counsel. If you are interested in applying, complete the scholarship application as soon as possible. If you receive a scholarship, the registration fee is waived. The scholarship deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, July 31. Please refer to the scholarship website for additional information.

REGISTRATION: Register here for the Juvenile Defender Conference. Register here for the Parent Attorney Conference.

The registration deadline for both conferences is 5:00 pm on Friday, August 7.

CLE CREDIT: We anticipate that the Juvenile Defender Conference will offer up to 5.5 hours of CLE credit, including one hour of ethics CLE credit, and will qualify for NC State Bar Criminal Law and Juvenile Delinquency specializations. We anticipate that the Parent Attorney Conference will offer up to 6 hours of CLE credit and will qualify for NC State Bar Child Welfare and Family Law specializations. The final CLE credit hours are subject to the final agendas and Bar approval.

HOTEL INFORMATION: A block of rooms is available at the Hampton Inn & Suites Chapel Hill/Durham (6121 Farrington Rd Chapel Hill, NC) for $129 plus tax. The hotel reservation deadline is 5:00 pm on Tuesday, July 28. To reserve a room, please refer to the hotel’s website or call the hotel at (919) 403-8700 and ask for room block “Juvenile Defender/Parent Attorney Conferences.”

TRAVEL INFORMATION: Contact Shannon Simmons, IDS Accounts Payable Supervisor, at [email protected] or (919) 890-1660. IDS shall directly reimburse the travel expenses of all IDS employees who attend education courses as participants or invited speakers in accordance with State and IDS rules and regulations governing such reimbursements. Please note that travel reimbursement forms must be submitted to IDS Financial Services by the end of the month following the travel, or reimbursement will be denied.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: If you have any questions or need further information, contact Program Manager Kayla Fowler at [email protected].