Day One Summit

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December 4th and 5th, 2025

The Day One Summit is an invitation-only event for public defense attorneys, justice stakeholders, and policymakers invested in ensuring prompt, high-quality defense representation. The Summit will be held in person on the SMU campus in Dallas, Texas.

About the Event

Summit attendees will discuss how to apply the Deason Center’s Day One principles to guarantee that early-stage criminal proceedings honor the Constitution and protect the rights of all arrested people.

Sessions will address recent successful reform efforts, and successful strategies for ensuring quality and consistency in Day One representation. Other topics will include data collection and research planning, rural challenges, and impact litigation.

For more information on the Summit, please email Day One national campaign director David Anderson at dwanderson@smu.edu.

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