DETROIT (Oct. 14, 2008) - Wayne State University Law School's Journal of Law in Society is proud to present a symposium titled "McJustice: Exposing the Inadequacies of Public Defense in Michigan and the Search for Solutions" from 3 - 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008, in the Law School's Spencer M. Patrich Auditorium.

Topics to be discussed during the symposium include the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's recent study of Michigan's public defense, and the current and future activities aimed at improving indigent defense in Michigan.

The keynote address will be presented at 3 p.m. by David Carroll, Research Director for the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. Carroll's address is titled, "Sounding Gideon's Trumpet: A Call for Reform of Indigent Defense Services in Michigan."

Following the keynote address, a panel of speakers will deliver presentations on their work and experience with public defense in Michigan. Speakers include:

• Kary Moss, Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan, will speak about the ACLU's recent actions to improve public defense in, "Duncan v State: An Update on the Court Battle to Reform Michigan's Public Defense."
• Nancy Diehl, Wayne County Prosecutor and former president of the State Bar of Michigan, will speak on "The Prosecutor's Role in Ensuring Justice."
• David Moran, Co-Founder of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, University of Michigan Law School Professor, and former Wayne State University Law School Professor and Associate Dean, will speak on "Inadequate Public Defense and Actual Innocence: Why Michigan Needs a Non-DNA Innocence Clinic."
• Valerie Newman, State Appellate Defender's Office attorney and former president of the National Lawyer's Guild Michigan Chapter, will speak as well (title of presentation TBD).

Wayne Law Associate Professor Anthony Dillof will moderate the Symposium.

This lecture is free and open to the public, and parking is available in Structure #1 across from the Law School, on Palmer Street (corner of Cass) for $3.50. A reception will follow this event. For more information, contact Andrea Tawil via email at azt@wayne.edu or by phone at (810) 938-3742.

The Journal of Law in Society was established by students of Wayne State University Law School in September 1997 to provide for the scholarly evaluation of the law in relation to various segments of society. The Journal addresses social policy issues in a legal context, with participation from legal scholars, jurists, practitioners and students. Combining legal theory with social reality, the Journal provides a unique forum for the discussion of issues currently affecting American society and serves as an educational and practical tool for its audience. Each academic year, the Journal holds a symposium in which speakers discuss social, economic, and policy issues from a legal perspective.

Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit's re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media and distance learning classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation's 40 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne State Law School students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, five live-client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities. For more information, visit www.law.wayne.edu.