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Challenging Laboratory Reports Received in Discovery
Access to these recorded training sessions and any accompanying materials is restricted to employees of federal public and community defender organizations; CJA panel attorneys who accept court appointments to federal criminal cases; and investigators, paralegals and other defense team members who work on CJA panel cases.
As per Rule 16, you have received laboratory reports and you know the government's expert is going to use these reports to hurt your client - what can you do? This session will detail how to meaningfully challenge the forensic evidence in your case by making specific discovery requests about the analyst, all information relied upon by the analyst in reaching a conclusion, manuals, protocols, databases, policies and accreditation of the lab and its personnel. Do not take these reports for granted and do not take them on face value - dig deeper and hear how to vigorously attack the government's conclusions.

These presentations were recorded August 23-25, 2012, during the Multi-Track Seminar and the Fundamentals of Federal Criminal Defense Training in Chicago, Illinois.

The Multi-Track Seminar was designed to offer in-depth instruction in a variety of substantive criminal defense areas. The five tracks for 2012 in Chicago were: 1) Sentencing in a Post-Booker World; 2) Immigration and a Closer Look at Padilla; 3) Computer Crimes, Social Networking and the Electronic Footprint We Leave; 4) Science, Experts and the National Academy of Science Report (NAS); and 5) Trial Skills: Techniques & Issues. Tracks 1-4 were presented in four distinct hour-long time blocks. These sessions were presented on Thursday, August 23, 2012 and then repeated on Friday, August 24, 2012. This design provided seminar participants with the opportunity to attend two of the four separate tracks taking place on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, August 25, 2012, seminar participants had the opportunity to attend both plenary and small group breakout sessions for the 5th track, Trial Skills: Techniques & Issues. Saturday sessions addressed topics of general interest and importance to criminal defense practitioners during trials. Each Saturday session was provided twice so attendees could attend two areas of interest concerning trial techniques & issues.

The following sessions were recorded and are available for viewing:
  • Padilla and Attorneys' Obligations When Advising Clients
  • The Science of False Recollection: Mistaken Memories and How to Attack Identification and Other Witness Memories
  • Where's Waldo?: Tracking People Using Their Cell Phones, IPADS, Blackberrys, GPS Enabled Gadgets and Other Devices
  • Sentencing Guideline Issues in Illegal Reentry Cases: Getting the Correct Guideline Calculations and Departures Your Client Deserves
  • Mitigation Experts/Tools/Tricks/Fireworks When Arguing for a Better Sentence
  • CJA Resources
  • Understanding the NAS Report and Filing Pre-Trial Motions to Attack the Government's Use of Expert Testimony
  • Laboratory Reports Received in Discovery
  • Critical Issues to Consider When Defending Immigration Matters
  • Experts: How to Use Them, Abuse Them and Keep Them Off The Stand
  • Attacking Trace Evidence Such as Fingerprints, Tool Marks and Firearm Matches
  • Developing a Theory and Theme Driven Trial Strategy
  • Openings
  • Computerized Presentations in the Courtroom
  • Ethical Issues Confronting Criminal Defense Attorneys
Seminar Information
Seminar Date:
August 24, 2012
Seminar Location:
Chicago, IL
Challenging Laboratory Reports Received in Discovery
Speaker Information
Marc Scott Taylor   [ view bio ]
Individual topic purchase: Selected
Office of Defender Services Training Branch
Minutes: 57.00
Products
Streaming
This Seminar is presented free of charge.