2023 Trainings

Need a hearsay refresher? Like quizzes and gamification? If so, this seminar is for you. There will be a lecture covering various aspect of the hearsay rules but then there will be follow up quiz questions using Mentimeter. Quiz participation is optional … BUT the top scorer will win a prize! While this session will be recorded, only those who watch live will be eligible to win a prize. 

Nicole Castka will provide information and strategy tips for effectively representing and advocating for our clients who struggle with mental health challenges including what to look for in our clients (the discernment piece), the rules about competency and criminal responsibility, arguing not guilty by reason of insanity, and more.

This webinar will cover various ways prosecution experts and police officers may attempt to offer improper testimony and how to object.

Such topics include credibility vouching, improper drug profile evidence, irrelevant testimony about training and experience, backdoor hearsay, and more

Please join for part two of the Arson Training Series. In this part of the series we will hear from arson expert Marc Fennell, IAAI-CFI on litigating arson cases.Each session is independent and individually available for CLE but offer different perspectives on litigating arson cases.

Please join for part one of the Arson Training Series. In this part of the series we will hear from Jill Schinske  on litigating arson cases.Each session is independent and individually available for CLE but offer different perspectives on litigating arson cases.

For those on the Wayne County Roster, this course qualifies for Tier 1 or 2.

This webinar will cover:
• An overview of the rules around search warrants
• Strategies for challenging warrants
• A discussion of recent cases on point

Federal and habeas expert Sanford Schulman will present an hour on the basics of habeas practice and considerations on preserving issues for appeal.

edPlease join for a session on using experts in your criminal trials with a focus on use in Wayne County.

This session will cover:

•  The importance of expert usage
• Suggestions on areas where an expert may be helpful
• Ideas about what types and which experts to call
• And more!

~1.0 Hours of CLE

Meets the Tier 2 Requirement for Wayne County

Please join for a session on bringing an investigator into the defense team with a focus on use in Wayne County.

This session will cover:

•  The importance of investigators
• Suggestions on things an investigator can do
• Ways that investigation can make or break your client’s case
• And more!

This in person training will provide the tools you need to impeach a witness with the use of an inconsistent statement or based on an omission. The session will also cover how to refresh a witness’s recollection. This training will be workshop style include demos and require active participation.

This seminar will cover immigration consequences of criminal convictions and conduct. It will include a presentation by the panel and then time for questions and answers.

This in person training will provide the tools you need to properly lay a foundation for admitting exhibits. This training will be workshop style include demos and require active participation. This session will not be recorded.

This presentation covers the basics of how SORA works, how to figure out if your clients will be required to register, and what other obligations SORA might impose on them. It also includes updates about legal challenges to SORA and other ideas for creative litigation.

Meets the Tier 2 requirement for applying to the Wayne County roster.

Please join for a webinar on the basics of forensic pathology. Autopsies, cause and manner of death, and more!

Meets the Tier 1 requirement for those on the Wayne County Roster.

Sydney Rushing will cover some tips on running a criminal defense law office including some helpful tips on tech and CRM options.

Kristin LaVoy will cover an overview of sentencing structure in Michigan and an overview of Michigan’s guidelines system. This is one of the roster orientation sessions but is open to all defense attorneys and team members.

Kristin LaVoy will present an overview of alternative sentencing programs and available deferral options. This is one of the roster orientation sessions but is open to all defense attorneys and team members.

Blase Kearney will be presenting in this two part course on Bias Cross Examination.

This session will cover the basics of bias cross examination including the general law on point and tips on technique. It is strongly recommended that you watch or attend this session before part two which will be held on August 24th.

Blase Kearney will be presenting in this two part course on Bias Cross Examination.

This second session will cover pushing the bounds of bias cross including, but not limited to, tips on admission of prior instances of lying and overcoming various objections. It is strongly recommended that you watch part one, Fundamental Jurisprudence and Technique before watching this training.

This session will focus on areas in which the Michigan Constitution varies from the United States Constitution and how to use those differences to your client’s advantage. Attendees will learn about recent decisions adopting or suggesting arguments for greater protections for the accused under Michigan’s Constitution, and how to most effectively litigate these issues. 

This presentation will cover how an attorney can review forensic science evidence, identify issues that may need further investigation and consult with an expert before trial. Recent case law affecting duties of trial counsel and funding sources for defense experts will also be discussed.

Meets either the Tier 1 or Tier 2 requirement for applying to the Wayne County roster.

In this fun and fast paced improv workshop, lawyers will have the opportunity to sharpen their creativity skills, practice communication strategies, and engage with their colleagues. With a wide variety of games, exercises and opportunities for real world application, this action packed session will sharpen your skills and broaden your horizons — giving you better outcomes with your clients, colleagues, and judicial system.

Come attend this session on the fundamentals of juvenile practice in Wayne County. Helpful for those new or thinking of going into juvenile practice, those curious about what the process looks like, or those interested in learning more about practice in Wayne.

At this training, two exonerees from the Organization of Exonerees, Kenneth Nixon and Eric Anderson, will speak about their wrongful convictions, both of which came out of Wayne County.

They will touch on everything that went wrong in their cases, whether it was evidence that went missing or was not turned over, or issues in their attorneys’ investigation and preparation. By learning about what went wrong in these cases – and the serious consequences that resulted – you will be better equipped to spot and avoid those same issues in representing your clients.

From the science of eyewitness memory to studies on race and how jurors think, social science draws on a wide range of disciplines – including psychology, public health, statistics, communication studies, and economics – to explain how and why people, groups, and societies do the things that they do. Social science studies and statistics are underutilized tools that allow defenders to communicate more effectively with judges and juries, better understand the implicit biases that impact the court system, and support the substantive legal arguments they raise on behalf of clients. In this training, you will hear from Professor Eve Brensike Primus about new and creative ways you find and can incorporate social science into your defense arguments.

This in person training will provide the tools you need to impeach a witness with the use of an inconsistent statement or based on an omission. The session will also cover how to refresh a witness’s recollection. This training will be workshop style include demos and require active participation. This session will NOT be recorded.

Please register HERE.  You will receive a confirmation email reserving your spot.

(This is a third session of the impeachment training that has been previously offered.)