MCLE Opportunities

Hosted by CAPLA
Presented by: Former FDAP Staff Attorney Richard Braucher and SDAP Executive Director Jonathan Grossman

Youth justice is one of the most interesting and rewarding areas of appellate practice. However, much has changed within the last 5 years. Our legislature shut down California’s youth prison system after more than a century of abuse and transferred responsibility for the state’s highest needs youths to the counties. This realignment to the counties resulted in a new statute, Welfare and Institutions Code section 875, whose goal is to reduce incarceration and release youth for treatment in their communities. At the same time, the legislature overhauled the law on transfer to the adult system in Welfare and Institutions Code section 707, intentionally making it more difficult for courts to commit 16 to 17 year old youth to the adult system. However, the changes to section 707 render current law analytically challenging for all participants in the transfer process.

This webinar, presented by juvenile justice experts Richard Braucher and Jonathan Grossman, is a brisk tour of these subjects, designed to rapidly familiarize attorneys with the history of juvenile justice, nuts and bolts of the evolving law, and best practices. Please join us November 5th at noon for this 90 minute presentation with free MCLE credit.

Panel and staff attorneys from all of the appellate projects are welcome and encouraged to attend.

**1.5 hours of MCLE credit will be provided**

Zoom Registration Link

***1 hour of MCLE and Legal Specialization Credit is offered for this training***

SAVE THE DATE – October 23, 2026
We look forward to seeing you at FDAP’s annual in-person seminar at the California Endowment Center in Oakland. We will have a full program with criminal and dependency break out sessions. More details to follow here and on FDAP’s website.

Unless otherwise noted these trainings are intended for criminal defense team members only, including attorneys, investigators, social workers, paralegals, mitigation specialists, law office professionals, and other job roles on defense teams.

Free Defend-On-Demand Online Courses
IDID is pleased to provide you with a catalog of the FREE courses we offer. These courses are self-paced, and most are eligible for self-study MCLE credit.

Link to catalog of free courses offered.

10/29 – New Laws Impacting Indigent Defense in 2027 – Zoom
TERESA DEAMICIS, IDID Resource Attorney, Office of the State Public Defender
12:15 AM – 1:00 PM

Designed for defense practitioners, this webinar will highlight legislation taking effect in January 2027 impacting DUIs, mental health diversion, 1050 continuances, juvenile transfer law, preliminary hearings, and more. In addition to the direct presentation, there will be time for Q&A, and participants will receive a handout on key law changes for 2027.

Registration Link 

*** 0.75 hour of MCLE and Legal Specialization Credit is offered for this training***

Racial Justice On-Demand Course
“OSPD is excited to open a new on-demand course on the Racial Justice Act. You will learn all the basics, refresh your knowledge, and stay up to date on RJA developments! These videos and written materials have been collected from around the state and are meant to help practitioners regardless of their experience in litigating the RJA.”

*Participants are able to earn up to 10 hours MCLE self-study and specialty credit.
Information & Registration Link

Defending Against SVP Commitments On-Demand Course
This course is intended for anyone in Indigent defense looking to learn more about Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) petitions and defending against these civil commitments. Those taking this course from start to finish can expect to spend approximately 9 hours to complete. However, registrants should also feel free to take this course at their own pace. Completion of this course earns 8.25 hours of general MCLE credits.

*Participants are able to earn up to 8.25 hours of MCLE self-study credit.
Information & Registration Link

Mental Health Diversion – New Resource Page
Introducing a continually growing set of resources on mental health diversion, Pen. Code 1001.36, now live on the Training SharePoint. Resources include recent mental health diversion case summaries, copies of pretrial writ appellate briefing in People v. Superior Court (Taylor) (issue: undue risk of danger to public safety) and Jones v. Superior Court (issue: wrongful termination of diversion), and a one-pager overview of the published Taylor opinion, including arguments prosecutors may raise and potential defense responses. Access to the Training SharePoint is limited to indigent defense practitioners. Access is free, but prior registration is required: https://bit.ly/OSPDReg.