Public Interest Opportunity of the Week – Future Appointed Counsel Training Program

The Harris County Public Defender’s Office received a grant from the Department of Justice to establish the Future Appointed Counsel Training Program (FACT) for new lawyers committed to representing indigent defendants in Harris County. The training includes a 14-day “boot camp” this summer, and 2 weekend follow-up trainings next year,  all provided by Gideon’s Promise, formerly the Southern Public Defender Training Center (online at: http://gideonspromise.org). The grant covers travel, lodging, and the training. There will also be a 2-day training on Harris County courts and Texas law, and a year of paid mentoring to be provided by top notch criminal defense lawyers.

This year they will be accepting a class of 10 lawyers, licensed for 0-3 years. Students who graduate this May and take the bar this summer are eligible to apply. Applications are due on April 1, 2013 and can be found here: http://harriscountypublicdefender.org/FACT-ReqforApps-v2-Form.pdf. 

Check out the video presentation on the FACT program and Gideon's Promise training program.