Making the Case for Life: Investigation, Mitigation, and Voir Dire in Capital Cases

This seminar is designed to help capital defenders, investigators, and mitigation specialists. Participants will hear cutting-edge presentations regarding pretrial investigations, capital jury selection, new perspectives on discovering the story of the client and mitigation evidence. Attendees will learn from seasoned capital trial lawyers, nationally-known law professors, and jury consultants, who will offer their personal perspectives, advice, and proven strategies for making the best case for life. If you are handling or may handle a case in which your client is facing the death penalty, then this is a must-attend seminar for you!

LEARN MORE: www.nacdl.org/MCL

Topics to be Covered:

1. Using ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) in Answering “How Did We Get Here?” – Dr. Adriana L. Flores (Atlanta, GA)
2. Combating the Fear of Mental Illness in the Defense – Eric J. Davis (Houston, TX)
3. Current Ways of Thinking About Trauma and How to Inform Our Narrative, Our Work with Clients and Witnesses, and Our Presentation – Susan Marcus (New York, NY)
4. ASD: Why it Matters to Culpability and to Mitigation – Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ)
5. Dealing with PCR Counsel – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC)
6. Witness Interviewing – Susan Marcus (New York, NY)
7. Using Video in Storytelling for Mitigation – Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ)
8. End Stage Litigation/Executions – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC)
9. AI in Capital Defense – Felix Valenzuela (El Paso, TX)
10. The Why of Where: Body Maps and Geonarratives in Mitigation – Dr. Julie Urbanik (Kansas City, MO)
11. Video Games, Discord, and Online Communities – Christina Rudy (Atlanta, GA)
12. Capital Voir Dire – Vivian Hernandez (Arlington, VA)
13. Cross-Section Jury Composition Challenges – Jeffrey Martin (Atlanta, GA)
14. Testing for Intellectual Disability: The When, the How, and the What – Dr. Dale G. Watson, Ph.D. (Antioch, CA)
15. ….and more!