• The Initial Guide in a New Series: The First Seven Days

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    The UNC School of Government’s Public Defense Education group is excited to announce a new series of practice guides, The First Seven Days, by Timothy Heinle, Civil Defender Educator. The guides offer practical tips and strategies for respondent’s attorneys in various civil proceedings to use during the first several days of representation. The ideas suggested in the guides are designed to help busy attorneys hit the ground running in ways that reduce stress for the attorney and improve representation for the client.

    The first entry in the series is The First Seven Days as a Guardian ad Litem in an Incompetency Proceeding. It includes ideas on creating files, client outreach, investigation tools, report writing, and more. Guardian ad litem attorneys in Chapter 35A proceedings can obtain the guide in three ways.

    • The NC Office of Indigent Defense Services has purchased copies of the guide for distribution through the AOC General Services system. Clerks of court may order copies for distribution at no charge to attorneys who are interested. Contact your clerk’s office if you would like a copy. Public Defender offices will also receive copies for the attorneys in those offices. The hard copy version of the guide is designed to be convenient and easy to have at hand for a client interview, court hearing, or personal reading.
    • A digital copy of the guide is available on the Indigent Defense Manuals Series For your convenience, you can download from that website editable Word versions of templates in the guide, including case-file inserts, GAL reports, and client letters.
    • Anyone who would like to purchase a copy of the guide can do so for $6.00 through the School of Government’s online bookstore. Click here to purchase the guide.

    If you have any questions or feedback, please feel to contact Timothy Heinle at Heinle@sog.unc.edu or 919.962.9594.

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