held on September 17, 2002

Texas Law Center , Austin

Hosted by

The Equal Justice Center

State Bar of Texas Committee on Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

 National Legal Aid & Defender Association 

Designed for

This public forum, held at the Texas State Bar building on September 17, 2002, consisted of a full day of moderated discussions focused specifically on Texas indigent defense systems. The forum brought together more than 130 participants, including indigent defense leaders in Texas and leaders of indigent defense systems tackling similar challenges elsewhere in the country, including private assigned counsel systems, contract systems, public defender programs and hybrid private counsel-public defender systems.  Forum panelists and participants will engaged in  candid, interactive discussion about the challenges of constructing sound indigent defense systems on limited budgets. The Forum allowed Texas judges, defense lawyers, administrators, county officials, and policy makers to share and examine various systems and models that successfully balance quality representation, cost containment, and accountability.  Forum participants took advantage of this unique opportunity to discuss challenges, ask hard questions, compare notes and network with panels of experienced leaders who are working to build successful indigent defense systems in Texas and similar jurisdictions.

Inspired by the success of the Forum, a number of indigent defense groups and leaders have expressed interest in convening similar forums in other cities around the State.  If you are interested in helping to host, organize, or support a forum of this type, contact Bill Beardall, Equal Justice Center, (512) 474-0007 ext-1.

For further details on the program Forum held in September 2002 Forum, see the agenda posted here or download the agenda (pdf).