Agenda Faculty Hotel Exhibitor/Sponsor
SAVE THE DATE!
Make the case...for your client's life at NACDL's 27th Annual Making the Case for Life Seminar. 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!
Agenda
The program agenda and faculty are subject to change.
| Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 3:30-6:00 pm | Early Registration & Exhibits |
| Thursday, August 28, 2025 | |
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| 7:10 am | Registration, Exhibits, and Continental Breakfast |
| 8:05 am | Welcome, Introductions, Announcements – NACDL President Andrew S. Birrell (Minneapolis, MN) and Program Co-Chairs Jerilyn Bell (Atlanta, GA), Theresa M. Duncan (Santa Fe, NM), Casey Secor (Lexington, SC), and S. Boyd Young (Columbia, SC) |
| 8:15 am | Using ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) in Answering “How Did We Get Here?” – Dr. Adriana L. Flores (Atlanta, GA) |
| 9:15 am | Combating the Fear of Mental Illness in the Defense – Eric J. Davis (Houston, TX) |
| 10:15 am | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break |
| 10:35 am | 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) |
| 11:35 am | ASD: Why it Matters to Culpability and to Mitigation – Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ) |
| 12:35 pm | Lunch break on your own |
| 2:00 pm | Dealing with PCR Counsel – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) |
| 3:00 pm | Witness Interviewing – Susan Marcus (New York, NY) |
| 4:00 pm | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break |
| 4:20 pm | Using Video in Storytelling for Mitigation – Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ) |
| 5:20 pm | Adjourn for the day |
| Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Exhibits and Continental Breakfast |
| 8:05 am | Morning Announcements - Program Co-Chairs |
| 8:15 am | End Stage Litigation/Executions – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) |
| 9:15 am | AI in Capital Defense – Felix Valenzuela (El Paso, TX) |
| 10:15 am | Refreshment Break |
| 10:35 am | The Why of Where: Body Maps and Geonarratives in Mitigation – Dr. Julie Urbanik (Kansas City, MO) |
| 11:35 am | Video Games, Discord, and Online Communities - Christina Rudy (Atlanta, GA) |
| 12:35 pm | Lunch break on your own |
| 2:00 pm | Capital Voir Dire – Vivian Hernandez (Arlington, VA) |
| 3:00 pm | LIVE DEMO - Colorado Voir Dire – Multiple Trainers TBA |
| 4:30 pm | Refreshment Break |
| 4:50 pm | Topic – Speaker (Location, US) |
| 5:50 pm | Seminar Adjourns until 2026 in New Orleans! |
Faculty
- Eric J. Davis (Houston, TX) *NACDL MEMBER
- Dr. Adriana L. Flores (Atlanta, GA)
- Vivian Hernandez (Arlington, VA)
- Susan Marcus (New York, NY) *NACDL MEMBER
- Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ) *NACDL MEMBER
- Christina Rudy (Atlanta, GA)
- Dr. Julie Urbanik (Kansas City, MO)
- Felix Valenzuela (El Paso, TX) *NACDL MEMBER
- Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) *NACDL MEMBER
Hotel
Sahara Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
2535 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
All reservations within NACDL room block must be booked using the online reservations link below. Reservations over the phone are not available.
Online Reservations: coming soon...
Group rate: $84 + tax Wednesday & Thursday / $149 + tax Friday (expires August 6, 2025).
Rooms/discounted group rates are not guaranteed once the block has been filled.
Sponsorship and Exhibits
Disclaimer: NACDL does not necessarily endorse or guarantee the quality, applicability, or discounts of the products and/or services of its exhibitors. Users of these products and/or services do so at their sole discretion and NACDL assumes no responsibility for them.
For information on exhibiting or sponsorships, please contact NACDL's Sales and Marketing Manager Jason Petty at jpetty@nacdl.org or call (202) 465-7637.
NACDL would like to thank the following sponsors, exhibitors, and affinity partners for their support and contributions:
PLATINUM Sponsor:
still available...
GOLD Sponsor:
still available...
SILVER Sponsor:
still available...
BRONZE Sponsor:
still available...
Welcoming Reception Sponsors:
still available...
Wi-Fi Sponsor:
still available...
Seminar Materials Sponsor:
still available...
Lanyards Sponsor:
still available...
Tote Bag Sponsor:
still available...
Exhibitors:
Code of Conduct
NACDL endeavors to foster a working, learning, and social environment free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and insult. To that end, NACDL has adopted a Code of Conduct for Affiliated Persons that applies to all attendees and participants of any kind at all NACDL sponsored events.
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