Equal Justice Works and Southern Public Defender Center’s Public Defender Corps
Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Center have partnered to develop the Public Defender Corps, a pilot project that will provide fellowships for top students to engage in indigent defense with a strong training and support structure. These will be three year fellowships inside select public defender offices. This initiative addresses the ongoing national crisis of failing to provide quality representation to accused persons who cannot afford counsel.
Applicants to Public Defender Corps will undergo a rigorous selection process. Once selected, they will receive expert advocacy training and mentoring, and be integrated into a community of defenders to help them develop the skills needed to provide the highest quality of representation to clients and imbue them with a commitment to indigent defense reform.
Public Defender Corps is scheduled to launch as a pilot program in the fall of 2011 and is currently accepting application for approximately 20 Fellowship positions. Application and supporting documents are due by 5:00 PM on December 17, 2010.
Application instructions and additional information about the Public Defender Corps Fellowships are available online under the Programs tab.