The Public Defender Training Division provides state, county, municipal, and youth court defenders continuing legal education programs, case law and legislative updates, legal research, and technical assistance in complex cases. The Division also oversees the collection and reporting of data for the Legislature and Public Defender Taskforce.

Mississippi Public Defenders Association (MPDA)

The Mississippi Public Defenders Association is a non-profit organization which provides support to public defenders in the state. The MPDA provides services to members by offering legislative updates, networking and brainstorming opportunities for trial preparation, model jury instructions, appellate brief guides, and the support of a group of attorneys committed to seeking justice through the protection of the constitutional rights of all persons charged with a crime in the state courts of Mississippi.

Click here for the MPDA Member Directory.

Click here for the 2024 Application for MPDA Membership.

Greetings Public Defender,

Above is the link for the 2024 MPDA Application for Membership. To all of you who are not currently MPDA members, please consider joining. MPDA co-sponsors two large public defender conferences a year and often contributes to the social events included in OSPD’s parent defender and juvenile defender trainings. Along with your membership you can gain access to any of the three list serves; juvenile defender, parent defender, and the general MPDA criminal law list serve. Please complete the application and return it with a check payable to “MPDA” for the appropriate amount.

By joining or renewing your MPDA membership you also join and/or renew your membership to the National Association For Public Defense (NAPD). In addition to excellent training and support opportunities, NAPD hosts a one of kind database called MyGideon. It is indexed by subject matter and contains instructional videos, manuals and motions from around the country. To learn about NAPD click here: National Association of Public Defenders.

To receive the benefit of this dual membership you must submit your application and dues no later than February 28, 2024.