This session will cover the basics of applying the federal sentencing guidelines. Drug amount calculations, criminal history, and offense conduct will be included in this discussion.

This presentation is best viewed with a copy of the 2009 United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manuel in hand.


These presentations were recorded August 12-14, 2010, during the Multi-Track Seminar and the Fundamentals of Federal Criminal Defense Training in Miami, Florida.

The Multi-Track Seminar was designed to offer in-depth instruction in a variety of substantive criminal defense topic areas. Five of the tracks - Fraud, Computer Crimes, Immigration, Sentencing and Forensics - were presented in four distinct hour-long time blocks. These sessions were presented on Thursday, August 12, 2010, and then repeated on Friday, August 13, 2010. The seminar design provided seminar participants with the opportunity to attend two of the five separate tracks taking place on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, August 14, 2010, seminar participants had the opportunity to attend both plenary and small group breakout sessions. Those sessions addressed topics of general interest and importance to criminal defense practitioners.

The following Multi-Track presentations were recorded and are available for viewing:

• Facebook, Myspace, The Joys/Dangers of Internet Social Networks and How to Use Them as a Litigation Tool

• Litigation Tactics and Defending A Mortgage Fraud Case

• Discovery and Challenges to Crime Labs

• How a Criminal Conviction Will Impact Your Client’s Future Immigration Status

• Defending Against Charges of Alien Smuggling, Alien Transportation, and Alien Harboring

• Supreme Court Update

• Identity Theft

• Isms and Schisms —How We Unknowingly Make Decisions Which Impact Our Cases

• Recognizing and Confronting Mental Health Issues

• The Nuts and Bolts of Trying Firearms Cases

• Panel Discussion "Ethical Issues Confronting Criminal Defense Attorneys"

The Fundamentals of Federal Criminal Defense Training was a full day program specifically designed for practitioners who were new to federal criminal defense practice. It provided the opportunity to receive instruction on the areas most vital to providing an effective defense for their clients.

The following Fundamentals of Federal Criminal Defense Training Sessions were recorded and are available for viewing:

• Discovery Issues With a Twist – Rule 16 and More

• Introduction to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Sentencing Guidelines 101)

• Practical Tips if Your Client Faces Incarceration in a Federal Prison