The Georgia Public Defender Council celebrated the completion of the 2024-2025 Leadership Academy, recognizing a cohort of public defense professionals who completed the intensive year-long program. Developed in partnership with the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Leadership Academy is designed to build management, strategic thinking, and leadership capacity among attorneys and administrators working within Georgia's public defense system.
The program spans 28 days of instruction spread across the academic year, combining classroom learning with practical application. Participants engage with topics including organizational management, communication, budgeting, and team development. The curriculum is tailored to the specific challenges of running public defender offices, where resource constraints and high caseloads demand both legal skill and effective administration.
Approximately 85 percent of criminal defendants in Georgia are represented by GPDC attorneys, making the development of strong leadership within the system critical to the quality of justice delivered across the state.
A central feature of the program is the capstone project, in which each participant identifies a real challenge within their office or circuit and develops a practical solution. This year's graduates presented projects addressing a range of issues, including structured mentorship programs for new hires, improved reentry resources for clients returning to the community, partnerships with youth-serving organizations, and the creation of toolkits and guides for early-career attorneys navigating complex case types.
Alongside the graduation ceremony, the Council announced that a new Leadership Academy class will begin in the fall for the 2025-2026 cycle. The continuation of the program reflects GPDC's ongoing investment in ensuring that Georgia's public defense system is led by individuals who are well prepared not only to advocate in the courtroom but also to manage the operational demands of their offices.
The Academy has become one of the Council's signature professional development initiatives, and its graduates now serve in leadership roles across circuits statewide, bringing the skills and perspective gained through the program to the daily work of representing Georgia's most vulnerable citizens.