SPDTC Curriculum

All participants go through the SPDTC Summer Institute, a fourteen-day initial training period designed to teach three basic topic areas:

The ethics and professionalism of public defense;
Pretrial practice and trial prep; and
Trial advocacy and persuasion.

Participants will then attend five subsequent, two-day, semi-annual meetings that combine continued community building with training on specific topics related to indigent defense. Some of these subsequent sessions will focus on new areas – such as appellate advocacy, sentencing advocacy, or mental health – while others will expand on topics covered during the initial training – such as advanced trial skills or dealing with specific evidentiary issues or other legal topics. Links to the curriculum can be found below:

SPDTC Summer Institute – Initial Training

The initial training for each new SPDTC Class is held at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, typically from July 31st through August 14th (the dates may vary a day or two on either side depending on classroom availability). Click here for an example of the agenda for the Summer Institute. Please note that topics may vary slightly from year to year as the curriculum is modified to meet participant needs.

Summer Institute Training Dates--New Classes
July 30-August 13, 2011
July 28-August 11, 2012
August 3-August 17, 2013

SPDTC Semi-Annual Meetings

To date, the SPDTC has hosted three, semi-annual meetings (Winter 2009, Summer 2008, and Winter 2008). All SPDTC participants attend each of these sessions. The program is designed to continue to build the public defender community across the region and to work with participants to address challenges they face in their efforts to provide a high standard of representation to their clients. Each session also includes 8-10 hours of training on substantive legal issues including small group, interactive workshops. Click here for the curriculum for the last three semi-annual meetings.

Summer Session Training --Returning Classes
July 30-31, 2011
July 28-29, 2012
August 3-4, 2013

Winter Session Training--Returning Classes
January 29-30, 2011
January 28-29, 2012
January 26-27, 2013