The 2026 Misdemeanor Defender Training, co-sponsored by the UNC School of Government and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, is now open for registration.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW, DATES, AND LOCATION: The Misdemeanor Defender Training will be held at the UNC School of Government on Tuesday, December 1 – Friday, December 4. Topics will include impaired driving, stops and searches, sentencing law, probation violations, evidence, ethics, and other issues that commonly arise in criminal district court. The program also includes small group workshops for participants to develop their negotiation and trial skills.
The agenda will be shared at a later date.
FEE: The registration fee for private assigned and managed assigned counsel is $600. 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, November 6. Please refer to the scholarship website for additional information.
REGISTRATION: Register here for the Misdemeanor Defender Training. The registration deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, November 13.
CLE CREDIT: This program will offer up to 22 hours of continuing legal education credit, including 1 hour of ethics credit (pending State Bar approval).
HOTEL INFORMATION: A block of rooms is available at the Hyatt Place Chapel Hill/Southern Village for $125 plus tax. The hotel reservation deadline is Monday, November 9. To reserve a room, please refer to the hotel’s website here (Group Code: G-SGMD) or call the hotel at (919) 929-9511 (option 0) and ask for room block “Misdemeanor Defender”.
TRAVEL INFORMATION: Contact Shannon Simmons, IDS Accounts Payable Supervisor, at [email protected] or (919) 890-1660. 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].