Read on for important information about upcoming trainings, panel recruitment, employment and panel development opportunities, and the Judicial Counsel’s new system for panel payments.

Be a FDAP Staff Attorney!

FDAP is hiring one full-time staff attorney. Join us in the rewarding work of representing indigent parties in the California Courts of Appeal in criminal, delinquency, child dependency, and civil commitment appeals.

At FDAP, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace, our legal work, California’s justice system, and the legal profession.  Benefits include robust health care coverage with no employee contribution to premiums.

FDAP is a hybrid office with staff working in the office twice per week; a full-remote schedule would be considered for particularly strong candidates.

Panel Recruitment Event

How to Build an Appellate Practice
October 17, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Know any attorneys interested in court-appointed panel work?  Please invite them to this informational session hosted by the appellate projects. This program is for anyone interested in learning more about representing clients in court-appointed criminal, juvenile (delinquency & dependency), and civil commitment appeals.

For more information, see this flyer.  Register here.

Judicial Counsel Transitions to New System for Panel Payments: No Action Necessary

The Judicial Council has announced that effective September 28, 2024, panel payments will be made through ADP, a private payroll company, rather than coming from the State Controller’s Office (SCO). Panel attorneys need not take any action. Existing systems, such as the eClaims program and panel attorney direct deposit elections, will remain in place as is.

ADP will first issue payments on October 7, which will be for the claims approved between September 23 and October 2.  Thereafter, the JCC will transmit claims to ADP on Thursdays and ADP will issue payments on Mondays (or Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday).

Statewide Appellate Project Collaborative Trainings

In a collaborative effort, the appellate projects (CCAP, FDAP, ADI, SDAP & CAP-LA) will now be sharing MCLE trainings to make it easier for panel members to keep current and obtain their required compliance credits. We encourage attorneys to attend trainings hosted by other appellate projects because FDAP will not repeat these topics at our own trainings. Several webinars will take place in October and November:

Third Party Adoptions (Hosted by CAP-LA)
October 9, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
This training is approved for 1.0 hour of MCLE credits and will cover circumstances where a proceeding may be sought, elements of causes of action, DCFS home studies and probation department reports, issue spotting and case law summaries, and other tips and takeaways. For more information and to register, email Bridget at bridget@lacap.com.

Adverse Consequences (Hosted by SDAP/CCAP)
October 30, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Please join CCAP and SDAP to learn about adverse consequences and get answers to questions like “what is an adverse consequence?” and “what should appellate counsel do when we find one?”  This training is approved for 1.5 hours of MCLE credit. The presentation will be recorded and posted on CCAP’s website for later viewing and self-study MCLE credit. Register here.

Dependency Case Law Updates (Hosted by ADI)
November 6, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
ADI staff attorney Laura Furness will cover new California cases, discuss trends in recent case law, and highlight some successes in dependency appeals. The program is approved for 1.0 hour of general and appellate specialization MCLE credit. Registration information will be posted on the ADI website closer to the date.

New Legislation (Hosted by FDAP)
November 13, time TBD
As 2024 draws to a close, a host of new legislation relevant to our work and the people we serve will be enacted into law. Please join FDAP Staff Attorneys Cheryl Anderson and Kaiya Pirolo for an overview of new criminal, juvenile delinquency, and civil commitment laws. This webinar is eligible for MCLE credit, including appellate and criminal specialization credit. The length of the webinar is yet to be determined, depending on the number and complexity of new laws enacted this year. Registration information will be posted on the FDAP website closer to the date.

CACJ Appellate Practice Seminar

Navigating the New Horizons in Defense Law
October 5, 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

California Attorneys for Criminal Justice’s annual Appellate Practice Seminar will take place virtually this year. The theme is “Navigating the New Horizons in Defense Law,” and the seminar will explore the latest developments and critical issues in appellate practice. Topics include Implied Malice and Watson Murder, Youth Sentencing and Resentencing Reforms, Chiu Issues, and Recent Supreme Court Changes to Crawford Applications.

Full event details, speaker bios, and registration information are available at the link. The seminar is approved for 5.25 MCLE hours, as well as 3.0 additional hours for on-demand webinars.

Employment and Panel Opportunities

The California Appellate Project (CAP-SF) is hiring an Executive Director.

The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is recruiting qualified attorneys to join the court-appointed counsel panel. Panel attorneys represent clients in criminal, juvenile delinquency, and juvenile dependency proceedings at the trial court level in San Francisco.