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Training and Education Requirements
Under Idaho law the Public Defense Commission has been charged with establishing training and continuing legal education requirements and opportunities to promote competency and consistency in indigent defense cases such as criminal, juvenile, abuse and neglect, post-conviction, civil commitment, capital, and civil contempt. During each county fiscal year, defending attorneys must complete at least seven (7) CLE credits relevant to their indigent defense practice. IDAPA 61.01.02.090, Idaho Code 19-850(1)(a)(i) and 19-850(2)(d).
The PDC offers training and continuing legal education opportunities to indigent defense providers. For more information on scholarship opportunities, please visit the PDC’s Scholarship webpage.
The PDC maintains a roster of all institutional, contract and conflict public defenders throughout the state. If you are not on our roster and currently work for a county public defender agency, work under a contract with a County Board of Commissioners, or frequently take indigent defense appointments, or need to update your contact or other roster information, please contact info@pdc.idaho.gov.
Trainings/CLE’s
For a current list of PDC approved CLE courses available online, see the PDC Approved CLE Courses searchable database.
If you need to report approved credits to the PDC you can do so here.
If there is a CLE course you would like to take that is not on the PDC approved list, please complete this form to request PDC approval for the course. Courses that do not meet PDC requirements will not be approved.
Courses approved by the PDC may not be approved by the Idaho State Bar. If Idaho State Bar credit is desired, we recommend you contact the Bar before taking the course.
PDC CLE Opportunities
The Montroy Series. Idaho Public Defense Commission’s monthly CLE webinars – The Montroy Series – feature local and national experts discussing current issues in public defense. Webinars cover analysis of local and national cases, and examination of legal concepts and public defense topics.
First Friday. The PDC invites members of the Defending Attorney Roster to join us on the First Friday of every month as we share PDC updates, answer your questions and provide a 30 minute CLE. Please note, this is a meeting for Roster members only and we encourage other stakeholders to contact the PDC for opportunities to meet.
Webinar Library. The growing Library contains recorded webinars from PDC programs. The webinars analyze local and national cases, examine legal concepts and discuss public defense topics. Members of the Idaho Defending Attorney Roster can access the PDC Library to watch webinars and receive PDC and ISB credit, if applicable. To access the Library, visit: https://idahopdc-napd.talentlms.com/. Your logon is your email address. If you forgot your password, you can reset your password at the above link. If you have any questions or need assistance logging on, contact the PDC, (208) 332-1735 or info@pdc.idaho.gov.
Leadership Forum. The Leadership Forum, hosted by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), features the country’s top public defender faculty, intensive small group work, practical training skills, and the benefit of an enduring network of support. It has been developed for leaders, managers and supervisors.
PDC². The PDC team, in conjunction with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) and more than two dozen faculty from around Idaho and across the nation, host a rigorous training program emphasizing trial skills, client-centered strategies and the building of supportive networks. PDC2 is open to PDC roster attorneys of all experience levels. Small groups of participants develop trial skills using a case problem. The faculty to student ratio is expected to be 2:5.
Other CLE Opportunities
NAPD Webinars. The Public Defense Commission offers credit through archived webinars hosted by the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) at their MyGideon site. If you are interested in joining NAPD, please contact us for more information regarding NAPD membership. For access to the archived webinars, visit My Gideon.