Michigan Indigent Defense Commission

CDAM Fall Conference
2016-11-10 04:00 - 2016-11-12 07:30 (America/New_York) | Park Place Hotel, Traverse City, MI, United States
The Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan will host the Fall 2016 Conference in Traverse City, Michigan with keynote speaker Dean Strang.
See CDAM’s website for more information.

Commission Meeting
2016-10-18 08:00 - 10:00, 2016-08-09 08:00 - 10:00, 2016-06-21 08:00 - 10:00, 2016-04-18 20:00 - 2016-04-19 10:00, 2016-02-16 08:00 - 10:00 | MIDC Office, 200 N Washington, Lansing, MI, United States

CDAM's Evidence Boot Camp II - Detroit, Lapeer and Muskegon
2016-10-08 03:30 - 12:00 | MI
CDAM continues to offer a hands-on evidence practice immersion program. There is no requirement to attend Evidence Boot Camp I in order to participate in Evidence Boot Camp II.
The sessions will be held in Lapeer, Detroit and Muskegon. See CDAM’s website and brochure for more information.

MIDC Town Hall Discussion
2016-09-30 07:00 - 09:00 | Kent County Courthouse, 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
MIDC Regional Consultant Chris Dennie and MIDC Executive Director Jonathan Sacks will discuss the latest developments at the MIDC.

Skills Training for Criminal Defense Attorneys (Oakland County)
2016-09-30 04:00 - 12:00 | Oakland County Bar Association, 1760 South Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48302, United States
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and the Oakland County Bar Association present
Skills Training for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Designed as a model for compliance with the basic skills acquisition requirements of MIDC Proposed Standard 1, this training event is designed for lawyers accepting appointments in adult criminal cases.
Read the flyer and register online through the Oakland County Bar Association website.
Materials found here.
Sample Motions found here.

Skills Training for Criminal Defense Attorneys (Macomb County)
2016-09-16 04:00 - 12:00 | Macomb County Circuit Court, 5th Floor Jury Room, 40 N. Main Street, Mt. Clements, MI, United States
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and the Macomb County Bar Association present the following training opportunity:
Skills Training for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Designed as a model for compliance with the basic skills acquisition requirements of the MIDC’s Conditionally Approved Standard 1, this training event is designed for lawyers accepting appointments in adult criminal cases. Topics to be covered include initial interviews with clients, ethics and client-centeredness, preliminary exams and motion practice.
Friday September 16th, 2016
Macomb County Circuit Courthouse
9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.
(breaks and snacks will be provided; lunch on your own for about an hour)
This training event is FREE but advance registration is required.
THIS SESSION IS FULL. Thank you for your interest.
MATERIALS:
The hypothetical exercises for skills training (5 pages) can be found and printed from this link.
Additional materials are here:
Morning session
Preliminary Examinations outline and materials (court rules, statutory provisions, case law)
Motion Practice

See the promotional flyer here.

CAP Session: Nuts and Bolts of Eyewitness Identification Evidence
2016-09-09 08:30 - 10:30 | Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Auditorium, 2 Woodward Avenue, 13th Floor, Detroit, MI, 48226, United States
Presentation through the Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program
Identification evidence is regularly used in hearings and trials. This session will give an overview of the types of identifications and procedures that are conducted in Michigan, how to challenge identification evidence and testimony when necessary, and will explore defense strategies including when experts are needed for trial.
The speaker for this session is Takura Nyamfukudza, an attorney with the firm Alane & Chartier in Lansing, Michigan. The session will be moderated by Marla R. McCowan, the MIDC’s Director of Training, Outreach and Support.
No registration required.

Technology for Lawyers: Free (or Really Cheap) Resources to Improve Your Criminal Defense Practice
2016-08-30 05:00 - 06:30 | Iron County Board of Commissioners Board Room, 2 South 6th Street, Crystal Falls, MI, 49920, United States
Join us for about an hour and learn how to make technology work for you!
Browser Basics – Declutter Your Email – Google Everything – Screenshots
Social Media Made Simple- Best Apps for Lawyers
View the flyer and register for the training today!

CAP Session: Client Interviews
2016-08-26 08:30 - 10:30 | Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Auditorium, 2 Woodward Avenue, 13th Floor, Detroit, MI, 48226, United States
Presentation through the Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program
The initial client interview is the time to establish the trust and confidence that is critical to the attorney-client relationship. This session will cover best practices for conducting early interviews, and includes checklists for information that needs to be gathered during the first discussion with your client. The session will also detail how to use the information obtained to begin to investigate the case, how to navigate collateral consequences for your clients and encourage holistic representation.
The speaker for this session is Ashley A. Carter, Regional Consultant for the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission. The session will be moderated by Marla R. McCowan, MIDC Director of Training, Outreach and Support.
No registration required.
Materials are available here.

CDAM Trial College Voir Dire Intensive
2016-08-18 06:00 - 2016-08-20 12:00 | Radisson Hotel and State Bar of Michigan, Lansing, MI, United States
Trial Practice College Intensive Voir Dire is a two-and-a-half day training program for criminal defense attorneys to learn practical trial experience from seasoned veterans and to promote zealous defense advocacy. The program is designed to give every attorney an opportunity to actually practice conducting voir dire, not just a lecture format. The training is geared to change methods and style of practice, and also enhance each participant’s outlook on clients, career, and life.

Participants will be mentored by extremely skilled and highly respected Michigan attorneys, who will work with them in a small group setting to help identify issues to address on voir dire. The key benefit of this program is that students will get multiple opportunities to actually conduct practice voir dire and receive direct feedback and analysis under the guidance of workshop faculty and peer review. Although a default trial problem will be available, students are encouraged to bring real cases of their own to develop and practice voir dire for their own cases. Unlike our traditional trial college, in addition to daytime programming, formal programming will be scheduled in evening sessions as well, to ensure that we can give our attendees as complete a training experience as possible. CDAM appreciates how hard our members work for their money, and how underpaid they all are. So we have designed this program to take as little time as possible away from your practice and made it intensive, to give our members the most “bang for their buck.”

The experience of this type of training is extraordinarily beneficial. This small group approach guarantees everyone the opportunity for “hands on” practice with individualized attention. Attendance is limited to 40 students to ensure that there is a high faculty to student ratio with lots of personal mentoring. The residential approach provides an opportunity to benefit from the support of our peers and to build relationships that help strengthen our practices.

Read more here.

Technology for Lawyers - Free (or really cheap) Resources to Improve Your Practice
2016-08-15 09:00 - 10:30 | The Commons Conference Room (above Cuppa Joe), 1200 West 11th Street , Traverse City, MI, 49684, United States
The Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association and the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission present the following FREE training session:
Technology for Lawyers:
Free (or Really Cheap) Resources to Improve Your Practice
Browser Basics – Declutter Your Email – Google Everything
Screenshots – Social Media Made Simple- Best Apps for Lawyers
Monday August 15th, 2016 — 2:00 p.m.
The Commons Conference Room
1200 W. 11th Street, 2nd Floor – TC, MI 49684
(Above Cuppa Joe)
Marla McCowan
Director of Training, Outreach & Support
Michigan Indigent Defense Commission
Michael Naughton
MIDC Regional Consultant
Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula
RSVP Online:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/technology-for-lawyers-free-or-really-cheap-resources-tickets-26826006307
Bring your lunch or an afternoon snack
Spend an hour (or so) with us and learn how to make technology work for you!

How to Win Your Case in Voir Dire
2016-08-04 03:00 - 12:00 | 91st District Court, 325 Court Street Suite 201, Sault Ste Marie, MI, 49783, United States
Spend the afternoon with veteran trial attorneys Barbara Klimaszewski and Marla McCowan as they reveal their strategies and techniques for effective jury selection in this FREE session for criminal defense attorneys.
Read the flyer here.

Technology for Lawyers: Free (or Cheap) Resources to Improve Your Practice
2016-07-25 09:00 - 10:00 | Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, 1441 St Antoine St, Detroit, MI, 48226, United States
The MIDC and the WCCDBA are pleased to present a 1 hour session for criminal defense attorneys. This training session will be held in the Continuing Legal Education Center on the 8th Floor of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
See the flyer for more details.
Power Point Presentation: FMHJ Tech July 2016

Criminal Law Update
2016-07-22 08:00 - 10:00 | St. Clair County Community College, 323 Erie Street - Welcome Center, Port Huron, 48059, United States
Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Regional Consultant Cheryl Carpenter, in coordination with the St. Clair County Bar Association, and through the generosity of the St. Clair Community College, is pleased to present a FREE training event for criminal defense attorneys:
Criminal Law Update
By Ron Bretz
Emeritus Professor of Law
Friday July 22, 2016 – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
St. Clair County Community College
Welcome Center Room 150

This session will cover all recent and relevant Michigan criminal case law updates beginning with pre-trial procedure through trial issues including the rules of evidence, new crimes and legislative developments, plea proceedings, constitutional issues in criminal procedure, sentencing law and post-conviction remedies.
Click here to register online for this FREE event.
About the Speaker: Ron Bretz graduated from Wayne State University Law School and was admitted into the Michigan Bar in 1976. From 1976 to 1996, Ron served as an assistant defender at the State Appellate Defender Office. He handled many high profile cases including one in the U.S. Supreme Court, Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. 625 (1986). Prof. Bretz received an award from the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan in 1987 for Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Defense Appellate Work for the Jackson case. In 1996, Bretz became a fulltime faculty member at Cooley Law School, teaching Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Forensic Evidence. He obtained tenure in 2004 and received the Beatty Award for Outstanding Teaching six times. He retired from full-time teaching in January 2014 and now holds the title of Emeritus Professor. Prof. Bretz has presented at numerous CLE programs for CDAM, the Michigan Judicial Institute, the Michigan Judges Association, the Michigan District Judges Association, the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System, and state and local bar associations.
The session is open to all and is FREE but advanced registration is required. Please register no later than July 20, 2016. Click here to register.
For questions or concerns about this event, please contact Cheryl Carpenter, MIDC Regional Consultant for St. Clair County.
See the flyer for this event.
Download the materials here.

CDAM Summer Training
2016-07-16 05:00 - 11:00 | Otsego Country Club, Gaylord, MI, United States
Don’t miss this great day of training in Gaylord! The topics and presenters include:

Stephanie Farkas on Understanding DNA Evidence
Robert Whims on Criminal Law Accident Reconstruction, Technology, & Concepts through Story Problems
Dave Harvey on Eyewitness Identification Protocols
Takura Nyamfukudza on Nuts & Bolts of Handling Eyewitness ID

See the summer training flyer here.
Materials available to Summer Trainees by contacting CDAM.

Skills Training for Defense Lawyers
2016-06-17 04:00 - 12:00 | Saginaw County Circuit Courthouse – Probate Courtroom, 111 S. Michigan Avenue, Saginaw, MI, 48602, United States
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and the Saginaw County Bar Association present the following training opportunity:
Skills Training for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Designed as a model for compliance with the basic skills acquisition requirements of MIDC Proposed Standard 1, this training event is largely geared for new lawyers accepting appointments in adult criminal cases. Topics to be covered include initial interviews with clients, ethics and client-centeredness, preliminary exams, motion practice, advising clients in guilty pleas and an introduction to voir dire.
Breaks and snacks will be provided; lunch on your own for about an hour.
Saginaw Circuit Court – Probate Courtroom
111 S. Michigan, Saginaw, 48602
This training event is FREE but advance registration is required.
Agenda and materials here: Saginaw June 17 materials
Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct
Michigan Court Rules
Preliminary Examinations with Andrea LaBean: Preliminary Exams
Motion Practice with James Piazza: handout: Motion Practice handouts pages 1-4

Public Hearing on First Set of Proposed Standards
2016-05-17 - 2016-05-18 | MI
On January 11, 2016 the Michigan Supreme Court issued a news release and published the first set of proposed minimum standards for indigent defense delivery systems for public comment. The comment period expires May 1, 2016 and a public hearing is scheduled for May 18, 2016.
Find out more at the Michigan Supreme Court’s website.

Lawyer Technology 2.0
2016-03-29 12:30 - 14:00 | MI
A training for all criminal defense attorneys
Presented by: John Powell, Web Content Manager, CDRC
Join the State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) for this tech training where participants will learn about Advance Google Searches, using OneDrive and Google Drive to edit, back-up and share documents online and for collaboration, and will learn how to take PowerPoint presentations to the next level. Participants are encouraged to B.Y.O.D. (bring your own device) to actively join in and perform the learned tech functions in real-time with the assistance of instructors.
About the Instructor
John Powell is the Web, Social Media and Technologist for the College of Engineering & Science at the University of Detroit Mercy and for ReBUILDetroit, a 5-year, $21.2 million grant sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to educate underrepresented students in the biomedical field and serves as the Web Content Manager with the CDRC.

Macomb County Q & A for Criminal Defense Attorneys
2016-03-18 06:00 - 07:00 | Macomb County Circuit Court, 5th Floor Jury Room, 40 N. Main Street, Mt. Clements, MI, United States
On Friday March 18th, MIDC Regional Consultant Cheryl Carpenter will lead a discussion for criminal defense attorneys about the proposed minimum standards for indigent defense. See the flyer for more information.

CDAM Spring Conference
2016-03-10 03:45 - 2016-03-12 07:30 | Troy Marriott, 200 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI, 48084, United States
The Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan will hold their annual Spring Conference at the Troy Marriott March 10-12, 2016. Attendees can register online and view the conference brochure which contains a detailed schedule of events.
Executive Director Jonathan Sacks will present MIDC Updates during the Friday March 11th announcements.
MIDC Training Director Marla McCowan, together with SADO’s CDRC Administrator Marilena David-Martin, will present during an alternate session on “Computer Basics” Thursday March 10th beginning at 1 p.m. View a trailer for the session below:
https://michiganidc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Technology....what-Are-You-Afraid-Of_.mp4

CDAM Trial College Train the Trainer
2016-01-09 03:45 - 09:30 | MIDC Office, 200 N Washington, Lansing, MI, United States
CDAM is looking for positive, energetic, helpful people to add to their faculty for the trial college and trial practice programs. CDAM invites members in good standing to attend a training session for faculty for trial college and trial practice faculty.
There is a requirement that you must have a minimum of 7 years practice experience to participate in this training.
Attendance at this program does not automatically qualify you to be faculty, but it is the beginning of the training process. So if you like to teach,are committed to helping others, and willing to invest the time needed to train and participate in the programs, we hope to see you at the training January 9th.
Note: lunch is not included so please feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.

MIDC Meeting
2015-12-15 13:00 - 17:00 | MIDC Office, 200 N Washington, Lansing, MI, United States

Identifying, Investigating, and Litigating Cases Involving “Abusive Head Trauma”
2015-12-09 06:30 - 08:30 | 41B District Court – 2nd Floor Jury Room, 22380 Starks Drive, Clinton Township, 48036, United States
The Young Lawyer’s Section of the State Bar of Michigan and the Criminal Defense Resource Center of the State Appellate Defender Office present a criminal justice training event for criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors & judges:
Identifying, Investigating, and Litigating Cases Involving “Abusive Head Trauma”
The Michigan Supreme Court recently recognized the prominent controversy within the medical community regarding the reliability of abusive head trauma diagnoses, which are involved in many child abuse and child death cases. Attend this important training for an overview of the controversy, and learn how to spot cases where the medical evidence may be unreliable. Learn how to challenge unreliable medical evidence in court, how to get the evidence you need, how to identify experts to consult, and how to request fees to pay those experts.
Presented by: Erin Van Campen
State Appellate Defender Office
The seminar, including lunch, is free of charge – advance registration is required.
For questions, please contact Heather Waara, hwaara@sado.org or 313-256-9833
Event Flyer

CDAM Fall Conference
2015-11-12 - 2015-11-14 | Park Place Hotel, Traverse City, MI, United States
Twice each year, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan offer an extensive three day training event covering the latest topics in criminal law, legal updates, and critical information to use in every day practice. Registration is open for the Fall 2015 conference in Traverse City, Michigan. MIDC Executive Director Jonathan Sacks will provide an update on the work of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission on Friday November 13, 2015. Register today!
2015 Fall Conference Brochure

MIDC Meeting
2015-10-20 08:00 - 10:00 | MIDC Office, 200 N Washington, Lansing, MI, United States
Notice of October 2015 Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Meeting

Reforming Michigan's Broken Indigent Defense System
2015-10-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Royal Oak Community Center, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, MI, 48073, United States
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission is speaking with the Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Detroit about Indigent Defense Reform and the work of the Commission. Join us Saturday October 17, 2015 at the Royal Oak Community Center at 10 a.m. for the discussion.
See the Flyer for additional details.
