Public Defender Mentor Project Events
The Project meets formally during the Fall semester. Members of the group are also welcome to schedule individual mentoring sessions with Professor Tamar Birckhead and other participating UNC Law faculty, including Professor Barbara Fedders, Professor Bobbi Jo Boyd, Professor Joe Kennedy, and Professor Rich Rosen. The schedule for our formal group meetings is as follows:
Fall 2008
- Thursday, 9/11, noon, Room #4004: Organizational Meeting
- Thursday, 11/20, noon, Room #4004: Panel with recent UNC alums working as PDs in North Carolina, followed by informal lunch in CSO suite.
Spring 2009
- Wednesday, 3/25, noon, Room #4004: The Conviction of Lee Wayne Hunt and the Limits of the Attorney-Client Privilege"
LISTEN TO AUDIO WEBCASTS OF PD MENTOR PROJECT EVENTS:
(the most recent audio webcasts of our programs appear at the bottom of this page)
Audio Webcast of October 2006 panel discussion w/North Carolina PDs:
Hear from last year's guests:public defenders from Wake, Mecklenburg, and Buncombe Counties as well as from the Federal Defender Office in Raleigh, the Office of the Appellate Defender, the Office of the Juvenile Defender, and the Center for Death Penalty Litigation.
They spoke about their backgrounds and experiences and considered the following questions as well as questions from the audience:
- What sustains you in your work? How do you deal with "losing" all the time? What qualities do you think are needed to be a public defender for the long-term?
- How do you avoid over-identification with your clients? How do you handle the fact that the criminal case may be one small aspect of your clients' already complicated lives?
- What kinds of courses, summer internships, and clinical experiences do you think will best prepare law students for public defense? What did you do, or wish you had done, during law school to prepare for work as a public defender?
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://www.unc.edu/law/audio/panel10-16.mp3.
Audio Webcast of February 2007 panel discussion w/UNC Law alumni from PD offices in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Virginia, and more!
Our guests included:
- Gerard Galloway, '05, Philadelphia Defenders;
- Jenny Lutz, '05, Philadelphia Defenders;
- Kathy Ortiz, '89, Chesapeake, Virginia Public Defender; and
- Chris Roberts, '00, Public Defender Services (PDS), Washington, D.C. (formerly with Durham PD's Office).
They spoke about their backgrounds and experiences and considered the following questions as well as questions from the audience:
- What sustains you in your work? What are the biggest challenges and the greatest rewards?
- How do you avoid over-identification with your clients? How do you handle the fact that the criminal case may be one small aspect of your clients' already complicated lives?
- What kinds of courses, summer internships, and clinical experiences do you think best prepare law students for public defense? What did you do, or wish you had done, during law school to prepare for work as a public defender?
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://www.unc.edu/law/audio/publicdefender2-19.mp3.
Audio Webcast of March 2007 discussion: What is it really like in the trenches: hours, salary, job satisfaction.
Hear the reality from faculty andlocal PDs! Our guests included:
- Caitlin Fenhagen, UNC Law alum, Orange County PD's Office;
- Whitney Fairbanks, Durham PD's Office.
They spoke about their backgrounds and experiences and considered the following:
- Describe a typical day in the life of a public defender -- hours, case load, job satisfaction.
- How have you managed tocover the basics and have anything left over on a PD's salary?
- What advice do you have for law students interested in PD work or for 3Ls about to startwork in a PD's office?
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://www.unc.edu/law/audio/clinic3-26.mp3.
Audio Webcast of October 2007 discussion with women public defenders practicing in North Carolina.
Our guests included:
- Anne Gomez, Office of the Appellate Defender;
- Alyson Grine, Defender Educator for North Carolina;
- Shelagh Kenney, Center for Death Penalty Litigation;
- Melissa Woods, Mecklenburg County PD's office.
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://mediastream.law.unc.edu/guestspeakers/pdpanel10-11.mp3.
Audio Webcast of November 2007 discussion with UNC Law students who have worked in public defender offices.
Our guests included:
- Alena Buitrago, D.C. Public Defender Service;
- Caroline Elliot, Wake PD's Office and Center for Death Penalty Litigation;
- Rachel Gage, Bronx Defenders and Orange PD's Office;
- Ben Iddings, N.C. Appellate Defender's Office; and
- Patrick Morgan, Orange PD's Office
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://mediastream.law.unc.edu/guestspeakers/pdmentor11-15.mp3.
Audio Webcast of September 2008 discussion with UNC Law students who have worked in public defender offices.
Last month we had an organizational session during which several 3Ls who worked for PD's offices last summer discussed their experiences and gave advice and support re getting PD jobs. Faculty members, Professor Barbara Fedders and Professor Bob Mosteller, also spoke about the differences among PD offices and strategies for obtaining summer jobs and internships.
Our guests included:
- Katie Carmon, D.C. Public Defender Service, Orleans PD, and CDPL
- Peter Gilbert, D.C. Public Defender Service
- Kellie Mannette, Wake County PD Office
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://mediastream.law.unc.edu/guestspeakers/pdmentor9-11.mp3.
Plans are in the works for another panel of PDs to speak at UNC and to share an informal lunch with interested students. Details will be circulated as soon as the program is finalized!
Audio Webcast of November 2008 discussion with UNC Law Alumni who currently work as public defenders.
In November, we had a wonderful panel of recent alumni who spoke about the challenges and rewards of working as public defenders. The panel was followed by an informal lunch with students, panelists, faculty, and staff -- hosted by CSO.
Our guests included:
- Caroline Elliot '08, Wake County PD Office
- Dana Graves '06, Orange County PD Office
- Jon Hunt '07, Cumberland County PD Office
- Emily Mistr '06, Wake County PD Office
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://mediastream.law.unc.edu/guestspeakers/pdment11-20.mp3.
Audio Webcast of March 2009 discussion of the Lee Wayne Hunt case with NC Appellate Defender Staples Hughes, Professor Ken Broun, and Professor Rich Rosen.
Lee Wayne Hunt is currently serving two life sentences plus 20 years for the murders of Lisa and Roland Matthews. Jerry Cashwell was Hunt's co-defendant in the 1986 trial for the murders. In 2004, Staples Hughes, North Carolina's Appellate Defender and a UNC Law graduate, revealed that Cashwell, one of his former clients who had since committed suicide, confessed 20 years ago that Hunt was not involved in the murders and that he was the sole killer of the Matthews. In 2007, Hunt -- represented by UNC Professors Ken Broun and Rich Rosen -- moved for a new trial based on the FBI's use of misleading and unreliable bullet-lead analysis. The request was denied, but NC Superior Court Judge Jack Thompson found that Staples Hughes could be sanctioned for violating the attorney-client privilege. Although the disciplinary complaint against Mr. Hughtes was later dismissed, the NC Supreme court refused to hear an appeal of the lower court's decision, and Lee Wayne Hunt is still in prison.
Our guests included:
- Staples Hughes, NC Appellate Defender
- Professor Ken Broun
- Professor Rich Rosen
- Peggy Abrams, President of NC Advocates for Justice
Listen to the audio webcast at: http://mediastream.law.unc.edu/guestspeakers/pdment3-25.mp3.