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NAPD 2026 We The Defenders
We will update this page if there is any change in sessions and/or speakers. Please see the FAQ pages for any questions and take some time to save sessions to your schedule. 

Venue: East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5 clear filter
Tuesday, October 6
 

10:30am EDT

Trial-Ready: Skills-Based Strategies for Public Defense Paralegals
Tuesday October 6, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
This skills-based session is designed for paralegals serving in public defense environments, with a focus on the critical role they play in preparing cases for trial. Attendees will explore practical strategies for supporting attorneys through the drafting of pretrial motions, organizing and managing case files, preparing exhibits, coordinating discovery, and anticipating trial needs. The session will highlight the unique challenges and responsibilities faced by paralegals in indigent defense, where limited resources demand adaptability, precision, and strong teamwork. Whether you're new to litigation support or seeking to deepen your trial-readiness skills, this session will offer concrete tools to increase your effectiveness both inside and outside the courtroom.


Tuesday October 6, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

1:00pm EDT

Interviewing and Safety For Investigators
Tuesday October 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
This course provides practical, field-tested strategies to help public defense investigators conduct effective interviews while staying safe in unpredictable environments. Participants will learn techniques for building rapport, assessing risk, maintaining situational awareness, and navigating challenging subjects
Tuesday October 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

2:15pm EDT

Refueling the Leader Inside Because Leadership Fatigue is Real
Tuesday October 6, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
*This session is eligible for NASW CEU Credit

This session recognizes and validates the sleepless nights, the doubts, and yes those feelings of loneliness and isolation that leaders may face. How do we maintain our compassion satisfaction and sustainability while working in unjust and oppressive systems, acknowledging high levels of stress, feelings of burnout, inadequacy, and limited resources for our staff?". We know our job as leaders is the maintenance of hope, motivation and inspiration for our employees. This session is designed to help re-frame, re-fresh, and re-fuel the leader inside. We will validate our leadership vulnerabilities, and strategize relevant and actionable strategies to ease our challenges in order to maintain motivation, and lead more effectively.

Learning Objectives: In this session, participant Leaders will: 1. Establish common ground about the definition of leadership; 2. Explore theoretical knowledge on common emotional experiences and why self-validation as leaders is essential for sustainability; 3. Examine the need to practice self compassion that encourages leaders to treat themselves with kindness and understanding during emotional challenges; 4. Formulate specific skill enhancement techniques to prepare leaders for emotionally charged interpersonal interactions.
Tuesday October 6, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5
 
Wednesday, October 7
 

9:00am EDT

Managing Up
Wednesday October 7, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
How to practice management skills to build productive working relationships with supervisors and leadership.

Wednesday October 7, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

10:15am EDT

Creating Space for Leadership Growth in an Equity Challenged World
Wednesday October 7, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
*This session is eligible for NASW CEU Credit

This session focuses on our leadership responsibility for the career development of our teams while working from a social justice lens. In this work, the inequities and marginalization of our clients’ lives is front and center in our daily work. And so, in this world of work, being inclusive as a leader isn’t optional. Building a safe and inclusive culture requires leaders to connect with others authentically and set powerful examples by being inclusive even when it's not easy/convenient. This session offers actionable strategies and insights to build an inclusive culture and create a psychologically safe environment for people to thrive.

Learning Objectives: In this session participant Leaders will: 1. Recognize and articulate the differences between equity and equality. 2. Identify instances of inequity in the workplace and understand their impacts. 3. Apply principles of social justice to promote fair treatment and opportunities for all employees. 4. Implement strategies to create a more inclusive and equitable work environment. 
Wednesday October 7, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

2:45pm EDT

Making Your Place on the Team
Wednesday October 7, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Wednesday October 7, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

4:00pm EDT

THC/Cannabis Toxicology: Recognizing Impairment
Wednesday October 7, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
With the legalization of marijuana and the recent innovations in the delivery and ingestion of Cannabis
in both psychoactive and non-psychoactive forms, there has been a surge of Cannabis related cases in
the criminal arena. This presentation is designed to educate attorneys and investigators on the DRE
process and how it applies when Cannabis is the drug perceived to be resulting in impairment.
Highlights (5-10 mins, each section)
1. Chemical breakdown/Toxicology
2. Retrograde extrapolation discussion
3. DRE – a review of the 12-step evaluation
4. Scientific studies
5. Court cases
6. Pitfalls
Wednesday October 7, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5
 
Thursday, October 8
 

9:00am EDT

Communication Challenges Workshop: Connecting through Conflict
Thursday October 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Communicating in relationships can be hard. We've all been in the situation when a call, email, or in-person conversation gets contentious and has the potential to blow up into a confrontation or develop into an ongoing issue. Many of us are hesitant or uncertain when it comes to addressing conflict in relationships.  In this workshop, we will work together through a series of scenarios to discuss ways to more effectively hear one another and acknowledge our feelings and needs in any given situation. Rather than just getting what we want, the goal is to create a connection that leads to compassionate understanding. It is from this place that creative resolution can take place.

Thursday October 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5

10:15am EDT

This is Gonna Get Weird: A Course for New and Future Leaders
Thursday October 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
This presentation addresses that team building is a process and any one can initiate that process, but it will take stepping outside of the comfort zone to make it happen. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the “team leader”. This presentation outline tips to make it easier, but it’s still gonna be weird.

Thursday October 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
East Wing Wabash Hall Conference 4, 5
 
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