Space is limited in each Supper Club and requires a separate sign-up. There is no fee, but you will be responsible for your own food and drink.
Click here to sign up.This Supper Club will take place at the
Kona Grill, 1 E Pratt Street.
Many trial-level public defenders around the nation are embracing a holistic-based model of defense. These offices understand that effective representation means identifying and addressing the diverse ways in which clients and their communities interact with the criminal justice system. However, what happens after our clients are sentenced and incarcerated? How should a holistic model apply to the appellate process? The Office of the Appellate Defender (OAD) is New York City's oldest provider of appellate representation to poor people convicted of felonies, and the City's second oldest institutional indigent defense office. Since its founding in 1988, OAD has held a unique position in the field of indigent appellate defense advocacy because it not only produces superb appellate advocacy, it is also a leader in innovative, holistic, and client-centered representation. OAD believes that client-centered post-conviction representation is essential because people in the criminal appellate process have pressing needs beyond the filing of a compelling legal brief and the presentation of a powerful oral argument. Therefore, OAD created a Reinvestigation Project to immediately identify potential cases of wrongful conviction and, where appropriate, file petitions for relief; OAD advocates for systemic policy reforms around issues that directly affect its clients; and OAD is committed to ongoing education of and engagement with our clients, their family members, and their communities. Additionally, in recognition of the fact that significant issues associated with incarceration (e.g., physical/mental health care), the parole process, and reintegration to the community often impede the ability to offer meaningful assistance to counsel and/or undermine the full benefit of legal relief, in 2001 OAD created one of the first social work and reentry programs of its kind. Today, OAD's client services director works with OAD's intake specialists, who are supervised by the managing attorney, in three distinct areas: incarceration, parole, and reentry. Participants in this Supper Club will learn about the successes of using this model of holistic legal representation; how it enhances the legal representation of clients; and tips and tools for implementing and working within this model.