The District Attorney’s Office announced today that three deputy DAs have received National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) scholarships. The scholarships offer valuable training and updates of current law and criminal prosecution trends.

"These scholarships are of great benefit to Deschutes County because they provide quality training at little or no cost to citizens. Having the best trained prosecution team protects victims and County residents," District Attorney Mike Dugan said.

Brigid Turner won the scholarship to attend the Cross Examination course. This course covers the legal and technical skills required to examine adverse witnesses. Brigid previously attended Trial Advocacy I as a Crook County Deputy, graduated from law school in 2006 and worked as a prosecutor in Crook County before joining Deschutes County last February.

Deputy District Attorney Phil Duong will attend Cybersleuth I on scholarship. The course addresses the need for prosecuting attorneys with specialized computer knowledge required to prosecute cybercrime and high-tech crime cases. Phil graduated from law school in 2006 and has worked in the Deschutes County District Attorney office for over three years.

Evander McIver received the Trial Advocacy II scholarship. The course presents trial advocacy from the standpoint of what is essential for efficient and effective prosecution at the jury level. Evander graduated from law school in 2006 and joined Deschutes County after working for Multnomah County.

The NDAA scholarships provide for travel, lodging (which includes breakfast and lunch) and course materials.

The National District Attorneys Association (www.ndaa.org) is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors in the world. Its members come from the offices of district attorneys, state's attorneys, attorneys general and county and city prosecutors with responsibility for prosecuting criminal violations in every state and territory of the United States.