Monthly Attorney Orientation
For Lawyers who are New to Indigent Defense
Beginning August 1, IDS staff will provide orientation for new attorneys on the first Friday of each month from 1-2 p.m.
Topics will include a guided tour of the IDS website, information on training and CLE opportunities, access to wellness resources and more. You will also be able to connect with other defense attorneys for future collaboration!
2026 IDS Forensic Science Education Series
IDS and the Mecklenburg Public Defender’s Office provide regular continuing education to dozens of NC criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists who attend the IDS Forensic Science Education Series.
In 2026, we will offer monthly 90-minute webinars on various aspects of forensic evidence. These webinars will take place typically at 12:30 pm on the first Thursday of each month. Click here to view the 2026 Schedule.
The first six sessions of 2026 will focus on understanding and advocating for neurodivergent clients.
- This event has passed.
FREE Online CLE! NC Criminal Cannabis Law Update – Fall 2024
The Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office is hosting a free-to-attend online CLE:
NC Criminal Cannabis Law Update – Fall 2024
This CLE is approved for 1 hour of general CLE credit.
Please register below as space is limited:
When: October 25, 2024 from 12:30-1:30
Where: Anyplace you have internet. Everyone who registers will receive a link to join by October 24th and you may enter the room by 12:15.
What: This session will examine the recent decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, In Re: J.B.P., which addresses the longstanding question about the significance of the odor or sight of cannabis in the age of legal hemp. The session will provide defenders with an understanding of the current state of criminal law and marijuana, and will offer defenders strategies to litigate suppression and evidentiary challenges in marijuana prosecutions in the state.
Who: Phil Dixon practiced criminal law in Greenville, NC, and surrounding areas for more than nine years before coming to the UNC School of Government in 2017. He is the director of the public defense education team and a Teaching Associate Professor of criminal law and procedure at the School. Among other areas, he focuses on criminal drug law. He is a regular blogger on the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog, the host of the N.C. Criminal Debrief podcast, and one of the authors of the Defender Trial manual.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
