JAMES C. DUFF
Director
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES COURTS
JILL C. SAYENGA
Deputy Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20544
LAURA C. MINOR
Associate Director
Department of Program Services
CAIT T. CLARKE
Chief
Defender Services Office
May 27, 2015
MEMORANDUM TO:
ALL CAPITAL POST-CONVICTION LITIGATORS
SUBJECT:
Twentieth Annual National Federal Habeas Corpus
Seminar - August 13-16, 2015
The Habeas Assistance and Training Counsel (HAT) and the Defender Services Training
Division of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) are pleased to announce the
Twentieth Annual National Federal Habeas Corpus Seminar, a program on habeas corpus law and
procedure. The seminar will be held on August 13-16, 2015 in Charlotte, NC. This seminar is
designed for, and attendance is limited to: federal defenders; Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel
attorneys; attorneys interested in representing a death-sentenced inmate in federal collateral
review; state court practitioners who are currently appointed or seeking appointment in a
federal capital habeas corpus proceeding; mitigation specialists and investigators providing
services pursuant to the CJA. There will be no tuition, and materials will be provided to
participants free of charge. The AO also will make available, to a limited number of applicants,
funding to cover travel expenses (airfare and/or lodging only) as detailed in this memorandum.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) accreditation for this program will be sought in all applicable
jurisdictions.
Program Description
This nationally-recognized program, the only one of its kind, focuses on representation in
capital habeas cases in toto. Among other topics, experienced capital habeas litigators will address
claim identification, various aspects of capital post-conviction investigation, factual and legal
development and presentation of claims, the use of mitigation and mental health experts, the
litigation of issues related to intellectual disability, mental illness, race and lethal injection,
substantive and procedural habeas corpus jurisprudence and clemency practice. The program will
also have a number of focused sessions devoted to providing attendees with information regarding
the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions on capital post-conviction practice, as well as sessions
addressing new developments and trends in the federal courts of appeal and other courts. The
program will also address new legislative initiatives and administrative actions that could effect
capital habeas representation. Individual case consultations will also be available to persons
attending the seminar.
A TRADITION OF SERVICE TO THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY
Twentieth Annual National Federal
Habeas Corpus Seminar - August 13-16, 2015
Page 2
Faculty
In addition to HAT attorneys John Blume, Mark Olive, Wendy Peoples, Keir Weyble, and
Denise Young, and national mitigation coordinator Russ Stetler, we will be joined in Charotte by
many nationally-recognized experts on federal habeas corpus and other areas of capital litigation.
In the past, the faculty has included Tony Amsterdam, Sandra Babcock, Julie Brain, David Bruck,
Dick Burr, Robert Dunham, Tim Ford, Ruth Friedman, Miriam Gohara, Scharlette Holdman, Sheri
Johnson, George Kendall, Michael Laurence, Denise LeBoeuf, Maurie Levin, Rob Lee, James
Liebman, Jim Marcus, Teresa Norris, Sean O’Brien, Rob Owen, Emily Paavola, Barry Scheck, Lis
Semel, Bryan Stevenson, Christina Swarns and Kathy Wayland.
Register Today!
To register, please go to http://etrak.fd.org/Login.aspx. You will need to Login in order
to register. If you’ve attended a program in the past 2 years and haven’t created or updated your
profile, your Login ID will be the email address you’ve provided to us and your password will be
your last name with the first letter being capitalized.
Example: Login ID:
chastain_smith@ao.uscourts.gov, Password: Smith. If you have not attended a program in the past,
you will need to create a Login ID.
If assistance is needed, please email at
Caryn_Pierce@ao.uscourts.gov. You will receive a confirmation email of your enrollment in the
program.
Schedule
On site registration materials pick-up will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, and
the program will begin at 5:00 p.m and end at 8:00 p.m.. The seminar is scheduled to conclude
around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2015.
Financial Assistance
Limited funds are available to cover airfare and/or lodging costs for individuals who require
financial assistance to attend this seminar. You must be currently appointed to, or expect to soon
be appointed to, a federal capital habeas case to be eligible for payment of your travel costs. To
apply for financial assistance, you must complete the financial assistance application form that
is attached to this email and submit it, along with the letter noted in the application. Requests
will be prioritized by financial need and the extent of the applicant’s involvement in federal capital
habeas corpus representation. Please be sure you provide all required information and your
application reaches us by June 19, 2015. Incomplete requests and those received after the
deadline, will not be considered. If you apply for financial assistance, please do not make airline
reservations until you are notified about a decision on your application and furnished with
information on how to secure those reservations. You should receive notification about your
financial assistance request by July 1, 2015.
Twentieth Annual National Federal
Habeas Corpus Seminar - August 13-16, 2015
Page 3
HOTEL
We are happy to inform you that a block of sleeping rooms has been set aside at Westin
Charlotte Hotel at the special rate of $110.00 per day single occupancy. Reservations can be
made by clicking on the following https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/habeascorpus2015
or calling 704.375.2600, ext. 7373 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. When calling, please
be sure to give the group name “National Habeas Corpus Seminar” in order to receive the
special group rate of $110.00 per night. All hotel reservations must be made by Friday, July
17, 2015.
Thank you for your interest in this very important program. If you have any questions or
require additional information, please contact Chastain Smith via email at
Chastain_Smith@ao.uscourts.gov.
Bob Burke, Chief
Defender Services Office Training Division
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