Agenda Faculty CLE Hotel Exhibitor/Sponsor Scholarships Pricing Register Online Register by PDF

Program Summary:
Like those in the world of finance, criminal defense practitioners must make solid ongoing investments in continuing education for the future success of their clients and development of their practice. While Charlotte is well known as a banking and financial hub in the United States, in February 2025, it will play host as the center of investment in modern trial practices for criminal defense practitioners.

NACDL’s 2025 Midwinter Meeting and Seminar “Take it to the Bank! Advanced Skills for Improving Your Advocacy and Expanding Your Practice” will provide you with the tools to invest in your career and law practice by bringing together seasoned trial attorneys to share a rich array of advanced strategies and tactics across multiple practice areas. Topics will cover advanced skills to help you with evidence, investigation, client relations, and will include presentations that will shed light on several areas of practice you may not be well-informed in, such as fraud, racketeering, parallel construction, E-Discovery, and more. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to share in the camaraderie of your fellow defense practitioners from across the country while expanding your legal portfolio. Whether you want to improve, refine, or enhance your skillset with new and up-and-coming areas of practice to generate more business, the advanced skills you will learn will be an invaluable investment in your practice going forward.

Plan now to join NACDL in Charlotte this February for this one-of-a-kind seminar to take your practice to the next level!

Location Description:
Charlotte is well known for its perfect blend of Southern charm and modern sophistication, with a growing skyline, bustling streets, and a dynamic arts and culture scene. It offers many things to see and do, from cool parks in the hub to outdoorsy fun in the outskirts. In the downtown area, which is called Uptown, you will be spoiled with a multitude of choices of the many beautiful public parks where you can enjoy a picnic, relax, or get active.

Whether it’s fishing from a lakeside beach, spending a day shopping and dining inside North Carolina’s biggest mall, walking down a hall honoring NASCAR greats, or even enjoying a local pastime of watching planes take off and land, Charlotte – the ‘Queen City’ – promises time filled with pleasure and inspiration.

Agenda

The program agenda and faculty are subject to change.

Thursday, February 27, 2025
7:00 am	Registration, Exhibits & Continental Breakfast
8:00 am	Welcoming Remarks – NACDL President Christopher A. Wellborn (Rock Hill, SC) & CLE Program Co-Chairs H. Eugene Oliver, III (Harrisonburg, VA), C. Melissa “Missy” Owen (Charlotte, NC), Sonya Pfeiffer (Charlotte, NC and Toronto, ON)
8:15 am	Navigating the Evolution: Admitting Evidence in a Digital World – Melanie Foote (Frankfort, KY)
9:15 am	Pre-Trial Practice: Discovering & Litigating Police and Prosecutor Misconduct in Criminal Trials – Deborah Levi (Pikesville, MD)
10:15 am	Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break
10:35 am	Defending Mortgage / Bank Fraud Cases & Challenging Loss Amount – Kevin A. Tate (Charlotte, NC and Las Vegas, NV)
11:35 am	Attacking & Defeating the Abusive Use of RICO – Drew Findling (Atlanta, GA)
12:35 pm	Lunch break on your own
1:00 -1:50 pm	Special Lunchtime Panel Discussion Presented by NACDL’s Decarceration Committee (lunch on your own) – Proposals to Reduce Wrongful Convictions: Lessons Learned from North Carolina's Legal Reform Experience Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring Marcus Pollard and Angie Weiss Gammell, authors of Duke University’s Wilson Center for Science and Justice’s groundbreaking report on wrongful convictions.   Take advantage of the lunch break starting at 12:35 pm to grab a quick bite nearby, then come back ready to explore this critical topic. This session promises to shed light on the systemic challenges surrounding wrongful convictions—don’t miss it! *Please note: Outside food is not permitted in the hotel conference room.
2:00 pm	Drilling Down: Hitting Pay Dirt Defenses in a DWI Case – John Fanney (Raleigh, NC)
2:50 pm	Through the Wire: Getting Ahead with Complex Drug Cases – Justin Rosas (Medford, OR)
3:40 pm	Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break Sponsored by:
4:00 pm	Parallel Construction: A Defense Attorney's Guide to Discovering and Challenging Original Source Evidence in Criminal Investigations – Jessica N. Carmichael (Alexandria, VA)
4:50 pm	The DIY of DNA – Bradley J. Bannon (Chapel Hill, NC)
5:40 pm	Adjourn for the day
6:00-800 pm	Welcome to Charlotte Reception: An evening at The McColl Center  LOCATION: 721 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202 RSVP Required Hosted by:   Join your NACDL colleagues for happy hour at the nationally acclaimed McColl Center, a contemporary arts hub just blocks away, for an open bar, appetizers, and a chance to engage with and explore the studios and work of world-renowned artists in the Artists in Residence Program at the McColl. The Winter 2025 cohort includes: Chiapas, Mexico based Balam Bartolome; Wrocław, Poland based Ioannis and Majka, founders of Misprint; San Francisco Based Simone Bailey; and Miami based Jen Claw. Included in the evening is a short artist talk with Balam Bartolome, McColl’s first John O. Calmore Creative Activism Artist in Resident.  This residency honors the legacy of John O. Calmore, a pioneering figure who, after excelling at Stanford University and Harvard Law School, dedicated his life to combating racial injustice and poverty through both legal practice and academia.

Faculty

Bradley J. Bannon (Chapel Hill, NC)
Jessica N. Carmichael (Alexandria, VA) *NACDL MEMBER
John Ellis (San Diego, CA) *NACDL MEMBER
John Fanney (Raleigh, NC)
Drew Findling (Atlanta, GA) *NACDL MEMBER
Melanie Foote (Frankfort, KY) *NACDL MEMBER
Justin K. Gelfand (Clayton, MO) *NACDL MEMBER
Dyke Huish (Mission Viejo, CA) *NACDL MEMBER
My’chael Jefferson-Reese (Chester, VA) *NACDL MEMBER
Deborah Levi (Pikesville, MD) *NACDL MEMBER
Molly Parmer (Atlanta, GA) *NACDL MEMBER
Sonya Pfeiffer (Charlotte, NC and Toronto, ON) *NACDL MEMBER
Justin Rosas (Medford, OR) *NACDL MEMBER
David Rudolf (Charlotte, NC and Toronto, ON) *NACDL MEMBER
Kathleen Stilling (Brookfield, WI) *NACDL MEMBER
Kevin A. Tate (Charlotte, NC and Las Vegas, NV)
W. Geoffrey Tucker (Chesterfield, VA) 

CLE Information

NACDL is an accredited provider of CLE in all states requiring mandatory CLE Training. NACDL will apply for at least 13.50 credit hours in every state requiring pre-approval. Approved hours for each state will be identified at the seminar. Some states, IL, GA, NE, NM, PA, SC, TN and UT require additional fees by the attendee in order to receive credit.

Hotel

Hilton Charlotte Uptown
222 East Third street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

Phone Reservations: 1-800-HILTONS / 1-800-445-8667
Online Reservations: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/nacdlmidwintermeeting2025/
Group rate: $219 + tax  (expires February 5, 2025). Please mention NACDL to receive applicable discount rate. 
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.

Sponsor/Exhibit Prospectus

Exhibit Availability Diagram

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..

Thursday Night Reception Sponsor:

Wi-Fi Sponsor:

still available...

Seminar Materials Sponsor:

still available...

Lanyards Sponsor:

Tote Bag Sponsor:

still available...

Exhibitors:

Dr. LaKesha Legree, Medical Expert Witness
EverConvert
Filevine
Garrett Discovery
Godoy Medical Forensics, Inc.
Metadata Forensics LLC
mindr
RizeUp Media
Smith.ai

Scholarships

NACDL offers a variety of scholarships for this event ranging from partially discounted to fully funded. Each type of scholarship has different application requirements. To apply for any of the following scholarships, please follow the instructions for that specific scholarship.

OPTION 1: Needs-Based Scholarships

Based on need, scholarships are available to NACDL members for up to 50% off the standard seminar fee of $419. Approved recipients are responsible for the remainder of the tuition fee, which is $210 (all other expenses are not included). The reduced scholarship fee includes seminar tuition, admission to all evening social events, and downloadable seminar materials. Travel, hotel, and other costs are not included.

To Apply: Prepare and e-mail a letter of no more than two pages explaining the reason why you believe you should receive the grant to: NACDL Senior Director of Events Akvile Athanason, at aathanason@nacdl.org.
All applications must be submitted before registering for the seminar and received by February 1, 2025.

NACDL MEMBERSHIP AND RESERVATION AT THE HOST HOTEL ARE REQUIRED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR NEEDS-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS.

OPTION 2: Public Defense Scholarships

As a result of generous grant funding, NACDL is able to offer scholarship assistance to public defense providers to attend this NACDL training program. Scholarships will be awarded in the form of full or partial reimbursement of the registration costs of the program. Limited travel reimbursement stipends may also be awarded to qualifying individuals to help defray the costs of travel and lodging.
Completed public defense scholarship applications should be emailed to: PDTScholarship@nacdl.org 

Apply for a Public Defense Scholarship  

Pricing

Register Online Register by PDF

Members of NACDL enjoy exclusive registration rates for our seminars along with all the benefits from joining.

CANCELLATIONS: There is a $75 cancellation fee. Cancellations must be received in writing via e-mail by 5:30 pm E.T. Friday, February 21, 2025, to receive a refund, less the cancellation fee. No refunds can be issued after the cancellation deadline.

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