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!

Click HERE to sign up.

2025 IDS Forensic Science Education Series – Part 2

IDS and the Mecklenburg Public Defender’s Office offer FREE, regular continuing education to criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists across North Carolina.

Inside the State Crime Lab: Forensic Testing Explained
July 24: Drug Chemistry – Forensic Scientist Manager Amanda Venable
Aug. 7: Toxicology – Forensic Scientist Supervisor Danielle O’Connell
Sept. 4: Trace Evidence – Forensic Scientist Manager David Freehling
Sept. 18: Mobile Device Examinations and Audio/Video Examinations – Forensic Scientist II Sterling Hunt
Oct. 2: Forensic Biology – Forensic Scientist Supervisor Wendell Ivory
Nov. 6: Firearms – Forensic Scientist Manager Jennifer Slish
Dec. 4: Latent Evidence – Forensic Scientist Managers Summer Maffett and Karen Morrow

Click HERE to sign up.

IDS Mental Health and Education Series

Monthly sessions are held on the third Thursday of each month from 1-2 p.m. EST.

Click HERE to sign up.

Topics Include:

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – July
  • Trauma Stewardship for Self and Others – August
  • Suicide Prevention – September
  • Stress Management for the Holidays – October
  • 6 “R”s of Trauma-Informed Care – November
  • Perinatal Mental Health – December
  • 2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series: Challenging Facial Recognition Evidence

    Live webinar presented by Clare Garvie, Training and Resource Counsel, Fourth Amendment Center at NACDL Nov. 3, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated For the past twenty years, police across the U.S. have used face recognition as a routine investigative technique with little to no controls, oversight, or disclosure to the defense, […]

    Free
  • Litigating Fair Cross Section Challenges (NC)

    “n essential component” of the right to an impartial jury is the “selection of a jury from a representative cross-section of the community.” Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 528 (1975). The right to a jury that is a fair cross-section of the community is a well-known concept for criminal defense attorneys. However, the legal and practical complexities […]

    Free
  • Roadmap to a Representative Jury (NC)

    Learn about jury diversity from national experts, local judicial officials, and practitioners. In this FREE comprehensive fair cross-section training we will cover some of the factors that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities, why diverse juries matter, how the fair cross section requirement differs from equal protection, as well as some model practices for improving jury diversity.

    Free
  • Cognitive Bias in Forensic Science and the Courtroom

    Live webinar presented by James Williams, Dr. Jeff Kukucka, and Emily Coward Aug. 4, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated Description: This program will examine several ways that race affects forensic evidence. Presenters will discuss the racist or colonial roots of some of the forensic sciences, how racism manifests in some current […]

    Free
  • Webinar: Cross-Examining Digital Forensic Experts

    2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series Live webinar presented by Lars Daniel July 21, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated Description: This presentation will prepare attorneys to effectively cross-examine digital evidence experts. The presenter will provide recommendations about vetting experts, including information specific to the field of digital forensics. Using cross-examination scripts, […]

    Free
  • 2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series: Challenging the foundational validity of a forensic method

    Live webinar presented by Attorney Hannah Autry, and Assistant Public Defender Samantha Grill, and Pate Skene, J.D., Ph.D. Mar. 3, 2022, 12:30-2 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated  Description: Indigent Defense Services and the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office will offer a series of monthly webinars which prepare attorneys to challenge unreliable forensic science […]

  • Winter Criminal Law Update

    North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts 901 Corporate Center Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina