Renewed War on Drugs, harsher charging policies, stepped-up criminalization of immigrants — in the current climate, joining the NACDL is more important than ever. Members of NACDL help to support the only national organization working at all levels of government to ensure that the voice of the defense bar is heard.
Take a stand for a fair, rational, and humane criminal legal system
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NACDL is committed to enhancing the capacity of the criminal defense bar to safeguard fundamental constitutional rights.
NACDL harnesses the unique perspectives of NACDL members to advocate for policy and practice improvements in the criminal legal system.
NACDL envisions a society where all individuals receive fair, rational, and humane treatment within the criminal legal system.
NACDL’s mission is to serve as a leader, alongside diverse coalitions, in identifying and reforming flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, and redressing systemic racism, and ensuring that its members and others in the criminal defense bar are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level.
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NACDL is pleased to submit our comments with respect to the proposed changes to Federal Rule of Evidence 609(a)(1). … Our members have substantial experience with the challenges created by Rule 609 and have submitted amicus briefs before the Oregon Supreme Court and Supreme Court of the State of Washington related to the state counterparts of Rule 609’s impact on the people in each jurisdiction. In line with our dedication to advancing the proper, efficient, and just administration of justice, we would like to offer the following comments on the proposed change to Rule 609(a)(1).
The decades-long war on drugs distorted evidence law in drugs and guns cases leaving it littered with landmines for defense lawyers. This presentation will provide an approach for tackling the pervasive challenges defense lawyers face in drugs and guns cases such as co-conspirator statements, prior bad acts, and questionable government expert evidence.
A thorough understanding of Crawford and Bruton issues is crucial for criminal defense lawyers. The Confrontation Clause area, however, can seem daunting and riddled with contradictory Supreme Court decisions. This presentation demystifies Crawford and Bruton and provides defense lawyers a clear and systematic method of tackling Confrontation Clause issues.
To combat questionable prosecution “expert” evidence, defense lawyers need to have a thorough understanding of Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and companion rules. This presentation provides practitioners with a framework for Article VII (Opinions and Expert Testimony) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, summarizes defense favorable cases, and presents arguments and tips on how to spot and avoid the most common ways the prosecution abuses expert testimony. This area is of vital importance now considering the recent amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702.
Rene Valladares and Hannah Nelson provide a framework for character evidence, an overview of the exceptions and nuances to the general prohibition of character evidence, and an understanding of how the pertinent evidence rules interact with one another.
Important amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence came into effect on December 1, 2023: Amendments to Rule 106 (rule of completeness), 605 (exclusion of witnesses) and 702 (testimony by experts). These amendments will bring significant opportunities and challenges for defense lawyers.
Presented by Rene Valladares, Federal Public Defender for the District of Nevada
The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Objections with Rene Valladares
The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Hearsay Part II presented by Rene Valladares
The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Hearsay Part I presented by Rene Valladares
Presented by Rene Valladares, Federal Public Defender, District of Nevada
The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Character Evidence and Impeachment Part II presented by Rene Valladares
The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Character Evidence and Impeachment Part I presented by Rene Valladares
Rene Valladares provides a roadmap for identifying and developing strategies for the evidence issues all defense lawyers face – including a framework to addressing relevance/prejudice, character/bad acts, privileges, opinion testimony, and more!
Making objections is an essential part of defending clients and protecting their rights. To combat the daunting nature of objections, defense lawyers should be familiar with the objections they are most likely to encounter. Rene L. Valladares and Hannah Nelson provide practitioners with a primer on the top 20 objections. A useful flowchart and quick reference guides accompany the article.
