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Monday – Friday · 8:00am – 4:30pm
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201 Poplar Ave, Suite 2-01
Memphis, TN 38103
Also about us
About SCPD
Public defense is demanding, specialized work. It requires not just legal knowledge but the ability to build trust with people in crisis, navigate complex mental health and social issues, and perform under pressure in high-stakes proceedings. We train for all of it.
Our Training Philosophy
Training at SCPD is built on a single premise: the quality of our clients’ representation depends directly on the quality of our people’s preparation. We don’t treat professional development as a checkbox. We treat it as a core operational responsibility — one that belongs to every member of the office, not just new attorneys.
Our training programs span every role and every level of experience. New hires receive structured onboarding. Mid-career attorneys and staff participate in ongoing skills development. Senior staff contribute as trainers, mentors, and program leads. Everyone is always learning.
Training Committee
SCPD’s Training Committee, led by Training Director Coco Gille, oversees the design and delivery of in-house professional development programs, ensuring that training reflects the full scope of what this office does and who it serves.
Training Programs
Gideon's Promise
National partnership · New attorney development
SCPD is a proud partner of Gideon’s Promise, a national organization that trains and supports public defenders committed to the mission. New attorneys at SCPD routinely participate in the Gideon’s Promise Core 101 training program, which includes an intensive two-week Summer Institute.
The Gideon’s Promise model is built around cohort learning — attorneys from public defender offices across the country train together, share experiences, and build a national network of support. SCPD has sent new attorneys to Gideon’s Promise training for years, and the program’s content and ethos remain a cornerstone of how we develop new staff.
New Attorney TRAINING
In-house · All new hires
Every new attorney at SCPD goes through a structured orientation before they take on an independent caseload. This is not a one-day event — it’s a multi-week program that covers the fundamentals of criminal practice in Shelby County, SCPD’s internal systems, client counseling skills, and the culture and values of the office.
Orientation covers:
New attorneys are paired with a mentor attorney for their first year. Mentors are available for case consultations, courtroom observations, and general guidance throughout the onboarding period.
Continuing Legal Education
CLE · All attorneys · Ongoing
SCPD supports and funds ongoing CLE for all attorneys. We prioritize trainings that directly strengthen public defense practice — trial skills, mental health law, forensic evidence, appellate advocacy, and criminal procedure updates. We also host CLE programs in-house, delivered by SCPD attorneys, outside trainers, and experts from partner organizations.
In-house CLE sessions are scheduled throughout the year and are open to all SCPD attorneys. Topics rotate based on emerging legal developments, training priorities, and staff feedback. Attorneys may receive credit at office expense for in-house CLE sessions toward their annual CLE requirements.
Investigator & Social Worker Development
In-house & external · All non-attorney staff
Investigators, social workers, mitigation specialists, and paralegals have their own training pathways at SCPD. These programs are developed in collaboration with the Training Committee and draw on national resources from organizations including the National Association of Sentencing Advocates and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA).
Key areas of focus:
Training as Culture
The best training doesn’t only happen in formal programs. It happens in case reviews, in mentorship conversations, in the questions attorneys ask each other in the hallway or the courtroom before a hearing. SCPD works to build a culture where learning is continuous and where asking for help is a sign of professionalism, not a sign of weakness.
Supervisors regularly observe newer colleagues in court and provide feedback. Case workshops serve as peer learning. The Training Committee holds sessions where staff can raise practice questions, review significant developments in criminal law, and share what’s working and what isn’t.
Training Committee
The Training Committee meets biweekly and welcomes input from all staff on training needs and priorities. If you’re a current SCPD employee and want to raise a training topic, contact the Training Committee at trainingscpd@shelbycountytn.gov.
Interested in joining us?
Training is one reason people build careers here. See our open positions.