Training Events | Defender Services Office

Below on this page you will find all events funded for FY 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017). Events for which dates and locations have not been finalized are indicated by TBD. You can also view our List of All Authorized FY 2017 Training Events and Conferences. Training by other organizations is listed on the Programs by Other Organizations page

2017 Aug 17 August 17, 2017 - 2:00am Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	WEBINAR: STRATEGIES FOR DEFENDING NONCITIZENS: ANALYZING SCOTUS IMMIGRATION CASES (REPEAT) Contact: odstbwebtraining@ao.uscourts.gov Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Register Here Event Description The Supreme Court has long recognized that deportation can have devastating consequences on a noncitizen including “result[ing] in poverty, persecution and even death.” Bridges v. Wixon, 326 U.S. 135, 164 (1945). In 2010, the Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment requires criminal defense counsel to competently advise a noncitizen about the risks of deportation/immigration consequences arising from a guilty plea. Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010). This term, the Supreme Court has examined immigration consequences of crimes in aggravated felony drug, arson and sex cases, as well as loss of citizenship in a criminal proceeding. This webinar will analyze recent Supreme Court decisions and provide strategies for defending noncitizens against criminal prosecutions in light of these new cases. Presenter Ubong E. Akpan, Attorney Advisor, Defender Services Office Training Division
2017 Aug 21 - 23 August 21, 2017 - 1:00am Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	Persuasive Writing Workshop Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Contact: Heidi_Capati@ao.uscourts.gov Register Here Draft Agenda Event Description This hands-on workshop teaches participants how to use fact-busting and principles of storytelling and persuasion to craft fact-driven written advocacy that persuasively integrates the facts of one's case with relevant legal principles. Participants will find that these techniques result in writing that is enjoyable to read and enhances one's chances of winning. During the course of the program, participants will apply these principles to one of their own cases. Registration is open and will be limited to approximately 36 CJA panel attorneys and federal defender attorneys. Participants must bring to the workshop an open CJA case in which they will be filing a written work product (e.g., pre-trial or trial motion, sentencing memo involving some legal challenge, opening brief on appeal).
2017 Aug 24 - 26 August 24, 2017 - 7:30am Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	Multi-Track Federal Criminal Defense Seminar Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Contact: Frank_Draper@ao.uscourts.gov Register Here Final Agenda Event Description The Multi-Track Federal Criminal Defense Seminar offers in-depth instruction in a variety of substantive areas of federal criminal defense practice. The program consists of related sessions, or tracks, which are grouped together allowing attorneys to select areas of practice which will best meet their training needs. There are tracks designed for attorneys at all levels of experience and the design of the program allows attorneys to attend sessions from different tracks. In addition to the tracks, the program includes additional substantive plenary lectures which cover more general areas of federal criminal practice. The five tracks (breakout sessions) are: (1) Immigration; (2) Motion Practice & Trial Skills; (3) Forensics; (4) Mitigation & Mental Health; and (5) Sentencing Strategies & Practices. Enrollment is limited to approximately 250 attendees and selection will be on a first come first serve basis. Enrollment is limited to approximately 250 attendees and selection will be on a first come first serve basis.
2017 Sep 7 - 9 September 7, 2017 - 7:30am Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	Law & Technology Workshop Series: Techniques in Electronic Case Management Miami, Florida Contact: Juval_Scott@ao.uscourts.gov Register Here (Waitlist Only) Draft Agenda Event Description In the digital era, understanding how to manage, review and analyze electronic discovery and voluminous discovery has become a critical skill for criminal defense attorneys. In fact, the first principle of the national joint electronic discovery protocol developed by representatives of the Federal Public Defenders, CJA panel attorneys, Department of Justice and the Defender Services Office reflects this emerging trend in the law: "[l]awyers have a responsibility to have an adequate understanding of electronic discovery." (See ESI Protocol) The Law & Technology Series: Techniques in Electronic Case Management (TECM) Workshop exposes CJA panel and federal public/community defender attorneys and professional staff to the legal, strategic and technological considerations involved with electronic and/or voluminous discovery. This two-and-a-half-day program uses a combination of plenary presentations and small group, hands-on instruction. Besides gaining an understanding of the legal, practical, and technological considerations of these types of federal criminal cases, participants will learn basic and advanced features of three litigation support software programs (Adobe Acrobat Pro, dtSearch, and CaseMap/TimeMap suite), which are designed for handling small and medium-sized volumes of discovery. Attendees will better understand how legal litigation support programs work, and how to coordinate thoughtful workflow processes with co-counsel, staff and potential vendors. They will also improve their overall ability to master case information, in order to better prepare their defense. In order to participate in this program, participants are required to provide their own laptop computer. Interested participants are required to complete a short skill set survey before their registration request is completed. NOTE: The litigation support software programs used in this workshop are designed to work on Windows operating systems (as opposed to Mac). If accepted, you must bring a laptop running Windows, or a Mac laptop running a virtual copy of Windows.
2017 Sep 18 September 18, 2017 - 12:00pm Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	Webinar: Constitutional Challenges to Border Security Searches Contact: odstbwebtraining@ao.uscourts.gov Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Register Here Event Description The number of digital device searches at the border increased five-fold in a single year, from 4,764 in 2015 to 23,877 in 2016. In 2017, the number of such searches is on track to reach 60,000. The “border” includes the land borders with Canada and Mexico, as well as international airports and seaports. The increased frequency of such intrusions into the personal lives of travelers has renewed the public’s interest in the government’s border search authority. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents rely on the Fourth Amendment’s “border search doctrine” to conduct digital device searches absent individualized suspicion. The border search doctrine developed in the pre-digital era, when courts considered the limited privacy interests travelers have in their luggage and vehicles. However, given the unprecedented amount of personal information on smart phones, laptops, and other mobile devices, there is a serious question whether suspicionless border searches of digital devices are “reasonable” under the Fourth Amendment. This webinar will discuss the current state of the border search doctrine as it applies to digital devices and what legal arguments defense attorneys can raise to advance the law. This is a joint webinar with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Defender Services Office Training Division
2017 Sep 20 September 20, 2017 - 3:00am Add to Calendar iCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo	Webinar: Constitutional Challenges to Border Security Searches (REPEAT) Contact: odstbwebtraining@ao.uscourts.gov Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Register Here Event Description The number of digital device searches at the border increased five-fold in a single year, from 4,764 in 2015 to 23,877 in 2016. In 2017, the number of such searches is on track to reach 60,000. The “border” includes the land borders with Canada and Mexico, as well as international airports and seaports. The increased frequency of such intrusions into the personal lives of travelers has renewed the public’s interest in the government’s border search authority. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents rely on the Fourth Amendment’s “border search doctrine” to conduct digital device searches absent individualized suspicion. The border search doctrine developed in the pre-digital era, when courts considered the limited privacy interests travelers have in their luggage and vehicles. However, given the unprecedented amount of personal information on smart phones, laptops, and other mobile devices, there is a serious question whether suspicionless border searches of digital devices are “reasonable” under the Fourth Amendment. This webinar will discuss the current state of the border search doctrine as it applies to digital devices and what legal arguments defense attorneys can raise to advance the law. This is a joint webinar with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Defender Services Office Training Division