Thursday at 1:45 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Hatch C
”Juvenile Sex Defense”
Myshell Lyday is a litigation focused CODE (Center of Defense Excellence) Public Defender with the Montana State Office of Public Defender’s Office.
Myshell is a 2006 graduate of the University of Montana Law School, where she along with a fellow group of law and journalism students, were awarded the Vern Klingman Meritorious Act award for work securing clemency for individuals convicted under the Sedition Act during World War I.
After law school she joined the newly formed Montana State Public Defender's Office and has made her career working or contracting with the Montana OPD. For the last eight years, she has focused her practice on defending children and emerging adults across the state. Myshell has challenged herself to explore creative and sustainable solutions for justice involved youth by examining the connections between the justice system, indigenous cultural responses, and natural systems within our ecosystem. Her work has resulted in successful legislative campaigns including statutory changes eliminating all fines and fees in Youth Court, significantly restricting youth restitution, and eliminating indiscriminate shackling of youth in court proceedings.
She has continued to push herself by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biomimicry, becoming one of less than 125 Certified Professional Biomimicry Leaders in the world. Her work has been recognized by the Gault Center and the Georgetown Juvenile Law and Policy Center with her selection as a Racial Justice Ambassadors. Myshell is also a certified Youth Defender Advocacy Program (YDAP) trainer, has presented many CLEs, and has extensive trial experience, and experience in the Montana youth transfer system.