NYSACDL | New York State Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys

NYSACDL IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF ATTICUS, OUR QUARTERLY PUBLICATION. CLICK THE LINK ON THE LEFT MENU TO DOWNLOAD A PDF

CLE AROUND NEW YORK STATE

SEPTEMBER 20: MANHATTAN - FEDERAL PRACTICE SEMINAR This 4 hour CLE Seminar will focus on important litigation strategies: the right to present a defense, developing the theory of the defense, drafting jury instructions, preserving the record, and ways to "deconstruct" the Sentencing Guidelines for a favorable sentence.

OCTOBER15: BROOKLYN - WEAPONS FOR THE FIREFIGHT Litigating pre-trial motions (MAPP, WADE, HUNTLEY) will be the focus of this 6 hour CLE Seminar including counsel's role at identification proceedings, crafting motions, updates on the law, conducting the hearings, and tactics for confronting evidence which is not suppressed at trial.

OCTOBER 23: SYRACUSE FALL TRAINER, 5 CLE HOURS OF SKILLS, 1 CLE HOUR OF ETHICS. Brochure and registration information to follow.

NOVEMBER: SUFFERN / NYACK Details to Follow

DECEMBER 3-4: BROCKPORT - Defending Against DNA and Scientific Evidence With a $30 million dollar Crime Lab set to open in Monroe County in the Summer of 2011, now is the time to learn how to tackle the complex task of investigating and defending cases with increasingly sophisticated forensic evidence and scientific testimony. NYSACDL in conjunction with the Monroe County Public Defender's Office presents a 2-day CLE seminar which will feature faculty from the scientific community who will help to understand the evidence and lawyers who will explore trial strategies and tactics

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP

NYSACDL annual membership runs for the calendar year. Please take a moment to Join or Renew now by clicking on the Join link above. E-mail Executive Director Margaret Alverson at malverson@nysacdl.com with questions.

________________________________________

BOARD MEETINGS FALL 2010

October 2, 2010 - Albany

November 13, 2010 - New York City

___________________________________

NYSACDL Board Member and Indigent Defense Committee Chair Andrew Kossover has been invited to serve as a member of the Advisory Group of the New York State Justice Task Force. For details,see attached.

SAVE THE DATE

NYSACDL ANNUAL DINNER

JANUARY 27, 2011

Join us at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan for an evening of cocktails, dinner, installation of Officers for 2011 and awards.

______________

NYSACDL congratulates former Board Member and Legislative Committee Chair Don Thompson of Rochester, New York who is being honored by NYSDA with the Service of Justice Award for his 15 - year effort pro bono to obtain the exoneration of Frank Sterling.

________________________________________

IN MEMORIAM JACK T. LITMAN 1943 - 2010

NYSACDL is saddened by the loss on Janaury 23 of Jack Litman, NYSACDL Past-President, one of the original "Twelve Angry Men" who endowed a scholarship fund for the annual National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia, recipient of the NYSACDL Lifetime Achievement Award and the Honorable Thurgood S. Marshall Award for Outstanding Practitioner. Respected by the bench, admired by colleagues and loved by family and friends, Jack Litman epitomized the practice of law and the art of criminal defense. A zealous advocate, legal scholar and good friend, Jack will be sorely missed by all.

NYSACDL Backs Expungement Legislation - Post Conviction Sealing Hotline: 1-888-898-0700 X161
NYSACDL is collecting stories from people who have been adversely affected by an old conviction to support legislation providing for sealing of criminal records in certain situations. Please join this effort by passing along the HOTLINE INFORMATION and by reaching out to affected individuals who may have a story they are willing to contribute. Affected persons are invited to call the HOTLINE and tell their stories. Callers may remain anonymous. The HOTLINE NUMBER IS LISTED ABOVE. for more information, please click here.

NYSACDL Resolution Regarding The City of New York’s Request for Proposals for Indigent Criminal Defense Services
As passed by the NYSACDL Board of Directors, Albany, New York, March 6, 2010

NYSACDL unanimously resolves:
A strong and independent defense bar is an integral component of New York’s delivery of indigent defense services. From Hamilton’s defense of John Peter Zenger, to John Adams’ impassioned defense of the British soldiers after the Boston massacre to Clarence Darrow’s defense of Leopold and Loeb, the criminal defense bar has been indispensable to the effectiveness of our nation’s criminal justice system. As New York’s largest criminal defense bar association, NYSACDL strongly opposes any effort by New York City to reduce the participation of private lawyers in the defense of New York’s less fortunate. The implementation of New York City’s Request for Proposal potentially undermines the right to counsel announced by the Supreme Court of the United States in Gideon v.Wainwright in1963.
NYSACDL vigorously urges the New York Legislature to adequately fund our state’s criminal defense system to comply with the mandate of Gideon.

The New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the largest private criminal bar association in New York State. We are dedicated to assuring the protection of individual rights and liberties for all. We are responsive to the needs of private practitioners and public defenders and are committed to the fair administration of criminal justice and the zealous defense of individuals accused of crime. We endeavor to provide the highest quality legal representation to assure Liberty and Justice for all.