Category: Community Partnerships

2024 Junior Defender Internships

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

Are you (or do you know)  a high school student who will be 18 before June 10, 2024? Do you want to learn about our criminal legal system while getting PAID? Apply to our Junior Defender Internship Program!

 

Junior Defenders will learn about our justice system through workshops; observing Philly’s courts in action; taking field trips and more. Click here to learn more about Junior Defenders. Watch the video below to hear from last year’s interns!

 

 

There are TWO internship sessions: June 10 – July 19, 2024; and July 22 – August 30, 2024.

 

Interested? Use the online form to apply TODAY for this internship opportunity! Application Deadline is Tuesday, April 30!
Questions? Contact Tamira McCurdy: tmccurdy@philadefender.org

 

Defender FY 2025 Budget Testimony

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

FY 2025 Budget Request: More resources to support Philly's Youth!

 

On April 16, 2024, Chief Defender Keisha Hudson & Deputy Defender Sarah Allen testified before City Council about our request for a $15 million budget increase in FY 2025.

 

These funds would largely be dedicated to hiring more attorneys and social workers for our child and youth clients, as well as salary increases to bring our attorneys to parity with other city agencies.

 

Read the full budget testimony here

 

Download budget request slides

 

Video: Defender Association Budget Testimony

Defender 90th Anniversary Highlights

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

On April 4, 2024, we’re celebrating 90 years of representing Philly adults and youth with a very special event at the Constitution Center. All are welcome to attend and celebrate along with the Defender’s past and present leaders, and many more elected officials and luminaries who began their careers at the Defender Association.

 

Help us celebrate 90 years of public defense in Philly, as we look to grow the next generation of Philly Defenders! Click the links below to learn how you can take part in the celebration!

 

Details, tickets and sponsorship information here

 

April is 2nd Chance Month!

Posted on by 2010admin

April is 2nd chance month, and at the Defender, giving our clients a second chance at a better future is a year-long mission! In addition to providing high-quality legal representation in the courtroom, we offer opportunities and information on criminal record expungements and probation terminations. 

Adult Criminal Record Expungements

Expungement request are the primary request from our Philadelphia community. At every community event we attend we offer one-on-one expungement clinics with our staff attorneys. In 2019 alone, we filed 405 new expungement petitions and saw 438 of our petitions granted by the courts.

 

An expungement is an order that requires state and local criminal justice agencies to erase something from a record. We offer our clients the opportunity to apply for criminal record expungements using via our website. Defender attorneys also do in-person expungement applications at public events like Defender Days, criminal justice workshops, block parties and more.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT ADULT CRIMINAL RECORD EXPUNGEMENTS

Juvenile Record Expungements

Expungement request are the primary request from our Philadelphia community. At every community event we attend we offer one-on-one expungement clinics with our staff attorneys. In 2019 alone, we filed 405 new expungement petitions and saw 438 of our petitions granted by the courts.

 

An expungement order directs the court to treat the criminal conviction as if it had never occurred, removing it from a person’s public record. These court orders are not automatic – a petition must be filed to start the process. The Defender Association files these petitions for our clients.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT JUVENILE EXPUNGEMENTS

 

Probation Termination

The Defender offers probation termination services for clients. To be eligible, clients MUST BE COMPLIANT with their probation conditions, including reporting to their probation officer, attending mandated treatment appointments and paying fines and fees (if able).

 

APPLY FOR PROBATION TERMINATION HERE

90th Anniversay Gala Sponsors & Supporters

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

The Defender Association of Philadelphia would like to thank all of the individuals, law firms and organizations who made our 90th Anniversary Gala possible, and a night to remember!

Platinum Sponsors:

Law Offices of MJ Snyder
Troutman Pepper
Cozen O'Connor
Pennjerdel

 

Silver Sponsors:

Paul & Missy Hetznecker
Philadelphia Bar Association
Catherine Recker & Matt Pappajohn
Hangley, Aronchick, Segal. Pudlin & Schiller
Ballard Spahr
Welsh & Recker
StoneTurn
Marsh McLennan Agency
Cornerstone
Jonathan & Diane Penneys Edelman
Welsh & Recker

 

Bronze Sponsors:

Kairys Rudovsky Messing Feinberg & Lin
Morgan Lewis Bockus
Jed Melnick
Weir Greenblatt Pierce
Zealous
Klehr Harrison
Saul Ewing
Buchanan Ingersoll
James M. Becker
Independence Blue Cross

Brass Sponsors:

Bob and Betsy Fiebach
David Richman
Ahmad Zaffarese LLC
Dilworth Paxson LLP
Kathryn Cacciamani
Maron Deering
PDAP
Luis Ortiz
Phyllis Subin
Duane Morris
SKA Law Group
Kreischer Miller
Community Behavioral Health
David Walker
Reliable Copy

Star Sponsors:

Roberta & Robert Liebenberg
Seer Interactive
Nancy Winkelman
Deborah Gross
Nialm Sanghvi
Lorena Ahumada
Brian Collins
Patrick Egan
Sam Silver
Thomas Kenny

Donors & Supporters:

Marc Alan Bookman
Michael and Jackie Schwartz
John Holloway
Lyn Davis
William Penn Foundation
Gregory Sleet
Suzanne Young
Robert Yablon
Shelley Shaw
Marianna Rossman
Brandi McLaughlin

Statement on Alexander Spencer Shooting

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

PHILADELPHIA—”The Defender Association of Philadelphia sends its condolences to Alexander Spencer’s family, friends and community. We join the public call for a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident that led to his death on January 26.

 

“As public defenders, we know it’s a mistake to jump to conclusions before all the evidence has come to light. But what’s been reported so far sounds too similar to tragedies that have played out in Philly and across the country–right down to the police narrative that seems to shift with every new piece of information revealed.

 

“Every time there’s an incident like this, it creates more mistrust between the police and the neighborhoods they’re sworn to protect. If we want our communities to be safe, we need to explore and invest in interventions that help reduce, not increase, the number of interactions between law enforcement and our communities.

 

# # #

Apply Today: HBCU Community Engagement Fellows

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org
About the Program:

 

The Defender Association is one of the public defender offices participating in the Black Public Defenders Association Community Engagement Fellowship. The fellowship is a 12-week summer program that pairs Black undergraduate and graduate HBCU students, who aspire to do racial equity and community defense work, with public defender offices.

 

This fully paid internship opportunity will offer hands-on lessons about addressing systemic issues of racism that plague the legal system while inspiring young people to achieve their educational goals and consider careers in public defense. The internship opportunity will be promoted to Black undergraduates and graduate students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

 

Visit the BPDA website for more details

HBCU Students: Apply Today!

The application deadline is Friday, February 2. 

 

Saturday, December 9: Expungement Clinic

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

WHEN: Saturday, December 9  |  12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Tustin Recreation Center, 5901 W Columbia Ave, Philadelphia

 

This Saturday, the Defender Association, is partnering with the Philadelphia Technician Training Institute, Free Library of Philadelphia and the ReAwakening Agency for a

 

Record Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair

 

The event features information on re-entry programs, employment assistance, healthcare and community services, and FREE criminal record expungement help from Defender Association attorneys.

 

Download the event flyer for details

Defender Joins Protest of ICE at Philly Courthouses

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org
Chief Defender Keisha Hudson, joined a press conference organized by Juntos to protest Federal ICE agents’ practice of detaining undocumented clients, witnesses and family members outside of Philly’s courtrooms. Full remarks below: 

 

The Defender Association of Philadelphia represents over 70% of the people accused of crimes in the city. All of our clients are poor, most of them are people of color and many of them undocumented city residents.

 

All of these groups have one thing in common: a fraught relationship with our justice system. As public defenders, it is our job to provide the best possible legal counsel to our clients.

 

But mistrust in our system often makes it difficult to get them, as well as witnesses from the community and even supporters and family members, to fully participate in the legal process.

 

Enforcement of immigration laws does not mean interfering with our ability to deliver justice for our clients and communities. But that’s exactly what’s happening here.

 

ICE’s practice of literally seizing individuals as they step foot outside of this courthouse undermines the court’s ability to provide equal access to justice and shatters confidence in the safety of the courthouse and the judicial system–not just among the undocumented, but the general public.

 

We’ve raised this issue with the leadership of the First Judicial District. We’re hopeful that the Courts will work with us to find solutions to curb the very serious threat ICE’s actions pose to the integrity and effectiveness of Philly’s justice system.

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