Seminars

CACJ sponsors several one-day seminars each year, all at a discounted rate for CACJ members. These seminars include the Annual Fall Seminar, held in December in San Francisco; Rules of the Road: DUI Update Seminar, held in Rancho Mirage in September, and the Appellate Practice Seminar held in October in the Bay area.

In addition, CACJ stays on top of trends in criminal defense by organizing up to the minute seminars on topics which, in the past, have included changes in the federal and state habeas corpus procedures in response to the 1996 Federal Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, and a series of Three Strikes seminars. Within just a couple of months after the passage of both measures, our members -- through those seminars -- knew what changes they could expect and how to better represent their clients. CACJ's seminars feature masters of contemporary trial tactics and state and nationally recognized scholars and experts on legal issues challenging the criminal defense bar. Each seminar provides you with opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge. Attendance at all seminars is limited to the criminal defense bar and associated professionals.

Each year CACJ, along with the California Public Defenders Association, co-sponsors the Capital Case Defense Seminar in Monterey, during the Presidents' Day Weekend in February. The four-day program is an intensive educational opportunity for those involved in death penalty defense and it includes lectures, plenary sessions, and specialized workshops. With last years seminar attendance topping 1,500, the CACJ/CPDA Capital Case Defense Seminar is the largest of its type held in the nation. Attendance is limited to the criminal defense bar and associated professionals.

The annual Bryan R. Shechmeister Death Penalty College is presented by Santa Clara University, CACJ and the California Public Defenders Association, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association. The Death Penalty College teaches participants the skills, knowledge and insight needed to try a capital case. More importantly, perhaps, the college fosters a feeling of cooperation and community among participants and faculty who are united in the common goal of saving lives. Instruction includes lectures, demonstrations and small group workshops. An outstanding faculty from around the country is available to critique and provide guidance on performance, strategy and tactics for the penalty phase of the trial. Attendance is limited to the criminal defense bar, and the number of students enrolled each year is limited. For more information about the Death Penalty College, visit www.scu.edu/law/dpc.

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