Agenda Faculty Pricing Register Online
CAN'T ATTEND NACDL'S MAKING THE CASE FOR LIFE CLE IN LAS VEGAS?
Register now to watch it remotely LIVE via Stream - and SAVE ON TRAVEL COSTS!
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!
CLE Credit: This livestream is approved for approx. 14 - 16.8 hours of CLE credits depending on the state, where applicable. Approval is not guaranteed for all states and jurisdictions.
This livestream is eligible for credit in the following states: Alaska (14), Arizona (14), Connecticut (14), Florida (15.5), Hawaii (14), Illinois (pending), Maryland (14), Massachusetts (14), Michigan (14), New Hampshire (14), New Mexico (pending), North Dakota (14), Oklahoma (17), South Dakota (14), Tennessee (pending), Utah (pending), Vermont (14), Washington (pending), Wisconsin (pending), Wyoming (pending).
NOTE: All registrations are final and non-refundable.
Agenda
This is a LIVE event. As such, the program agenda, faculty, and presentation times are subject to change throughout the day. All times are PT.
| Thursday, August 28, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 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 | The Lasting Imprint: How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Shape Lifespan Development – Dr. Adriana L. Flores (Atlanta, GA) |
| 9:15 am | Dangerous Minds: Combating the Fear of Mental Illness in the Defense – Eric J. Davis (Houston, TX) |
| 10:15 am | 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) and Dr. Laurie Allyn Sperry, PhD., BCBA-D, LBA (Wheat Ridge CO) |
| 12:35 pm | Break |
| 2:00 pm | Working with Post-Conviction Counsel – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) |
| 3:00 pm | Witness Interviewing – Susan Marcus (New York, NY) |
| 4:00 pm | 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 | |
|---|---|
| 8:05 am | Morning Announcements - Program Co-Chairs |
| 8:15 am | End Stage Litigation/Executions – Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) |
| 9:15 am | Leveraging AI in Capital Cases: Practical Strategies and Ethical Considerations for Better Advocacy – Felix Valenzuela (El Paso, TX) |
| 10:15 am | Break |
| 10:35 am | The Why of Where: Considering the Role of Place in Mitigation – Dr. Julie Urbanik (Shawnee, KS) |
| 11:35 am | Video Games, Discord, and Online Communities - Max Rudy (Bismarck, ND) |
| 12:35 pm | Break |
| 2:00 pm | Capital Voir Dire – Vivian Hernandez (Arlington, VA) |
| 3:00 pm | Challenging the Jury Pool – Jeffrey Martin (Atlanta, GA) |
| 4:00 pm | Break |
| 4:20 pm | Testing for Intellectual Disability: The When, the How, and the What – Dr. Dale G. Watson, Ph.D. (Antioch, CA) |
| 5:50 pm | Seminar Adjourns |
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
- Jeffrey Martin (Atlanta, GA)
- Doug Passon (Scottsdale, AZ) *NACDL MEMBER
- Max Rudy (Bismarck, ND)
- Dr. Laurie Allyn Sperry, PhD., BCBA-D, LBA (Wheat Ridge CO)
- Dr. Julie Urbanik (Shawnee, KS)
- Felix Valenzuela (El Paso, TX) *NACDL MEMBER
- Lindsey Vann (Columbia, SC) *NACDL MEMBER
- Dr. Dale G. Watson, Ph.D. (Antioch, CA)
Pricing
Members of NACDL enjoy exclusive registration rates for Livestreaming our seminars.
| LIVESTREAM Fees | |
|---|---|
| NACDL MEMBERS: Regular, Life, President's Club and Sustaining Members | $249 |
| NACDL MEMBERS: Public Defender, Associate, Investigator, Professor, New Lawyer, International and Military | $219 |
| Non-Members: Private Practitioners | $349 |
| Non-Members: Public Defenders, Investigators, and Mitigation Specialists | $289 |
IMPORTANT NOTE: All registrations for remote Livestream participation are final and non-refundable.
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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