Upcoming Events
The following events may be of interest to panel attorneys and generally provide MCLE credit.
MCLE Programs Offered by Appellate Projects
New Legislation Webinar 2025
January 8, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. | Remote
Hosted by FDAP
As 2026 arrives, a host of new legislation relevant to our work and the people we serve will be enacted into law. Please join FDAP Staff Attorneys Kaiya Pirolo and Liv Gee 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.
Dependency Case Law Update
January 28, 2026 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Remote
Hosted by ADI
Staff attorneys Laura Furness and Christy Peterson will cover new California dependency cases, discuss trends, and share successes in dependency appeals.
1.0 hour of general and appellate specialization MCLE credit is offered for this training.
Training Opportunities Offered by Other Defense Organizations
CADC’s Annual Conference and Seminar
Registration is now open for CADC’s Annual Conference and Seminar on March 20-21, 2026 which will be held in-person only at the South San Francisco Conference Center. The two-day conference will be filled with informative and inspiring presentations, including the Project Directors Roundtable, a report from CADC’s lobbyist and criminal and dependency break-out sessions, providing a total of up to 8.25 hours of MCLE credit.
For more information and to register, please visit CADC’s website:
OSPD Webinars
Generative AI and Prosecutorial Misconduct
Carson White, Supervising Attorney, Civil Rights Corps
Peter Santina, Managing Attorney, Prosecutorial Accountability Project, Civil Rights Corps
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Zoom
With the rapid spread of generative AI tools, more courts are encountering briefs and pleadings containing fabricated case law, misquoted authority, and unreliable analysis. While defense misuse has received significant public attention, far less scrutiny has been directed toward similar issues in prosecutorial filings. To understand the scope of the problem and respond effectively, defenders need shared awareness and a framework for recognizing filings which constitute misconduct when they appear. This webinar will help defense teams recognize what AI-generated legal writing looks like, understand how to document suspected misuse, and explore the legal tools available when fabricated or unreliable content is submitted to the court. By exchanging examples, experiences, and strategies, we can begin identifying statewide patterns and ensure client protection when the process is compromised by unverified AI.
1 hour of Legal Ethics and Technology in the Practice of Law MCLE and Legal Specialization Credit is offered for this training.
Understanding CDCR’s Compassionate Release Process and Procedures
Dr. Michele DiTomas, Assistant Deputy Medical Executive, CDCR
Lara Kislinger, Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. | Zoom
In partnership with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, presenters will explain CDCR’s Compassionate Release procedures, relevant law, and best practices. Attendees will hear from an experienced practitioner and have the opportunity to ask questions of CDCR’s Assistant Deputy Medical Executive about how medical evaluations and compassionate release recommendations are made.
1 hour of MCLE Credit is offered for this training.
On-Demand Courses
New Racial Justice Act Online 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 receive MCLE Self Study and Specialty Credit for their hours working on the course (up to 10-hours).
SVP 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.