Upcoming HAT Seminars
The Persuasion Institute: A Workshop in Legal Storytelling and Narrative Construction for Capital Post-Conviction Counsel
June 29 – July 1, 2026 (Monday-Wednesday)
Cornell Law School
Ithaca, NY
The Habeas Assistance and Training Counsel (HAT) Project and the Defender Services Office Training Division of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) are pleased to announce that the Tenth Habeas Persuasion Institute will be held at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York from June 29-July 1, 2026. The program will begin at noon on Monday, June 29, 2026, and will conclude on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 12:30 p.m.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
This unique and innovative program was initially designed by NYU Professors Anthony G. Amsterdam and Jerry Bruner and has been refined over the years by the original designers and others, including HAT counsel. The premise of the program is that post-conviction and habeas written and oral advocacy can be improved by providing participants with an awareness of how to use aspects of narrative theory and “elements” of story such as plot, character development, theme, setting, perspective, and sequence. This will be accomplished in a non-traditional manner by bringing together capital post-conviction attorneys, professional non-fiction and fiction writers, and legal and literary academics working together to develop and convey persuasive advocacy techniques in a combined lecture, group brainstorming session and small group discussion formats.
The conference is open to Federal Defenders in Federal Defender Organizations with CHUs, and Assistant Federal Defenders and Research and Writing Specialists working in those CHUs, CJA Panel Attorneys, as well as a limited number of attorneys in state capital direct appeal and post-conviction offices. Because of the nature of the program and its necessarily more “hands on” approach, attendance has been limited to 36 participants who will work in six small groups. Priority will be given to attorneys and those who have not attended this program before.
CLE (Please read before registering):
We have applied for CLE accreditation in states that have mandatory requirements. We regret that we cannot respond to telephone inquiries regarding the status of CLE approval prior to the workshop. All information related to CLE will be emailed to attendees within 15-30 days following the program.
• To minimize reporting fees per attorney/program, if you are barred in more than one of the following states NM, TN, PA, NE, attendance will be reported to one state only.
• The attorney is responsible for making sure the appropriate state and bar number is on file with the DSO Training Division.
• For applicable states, attendance will be reported using the bar number and state(s) listed on the registration form submitted for this program.
• Failure to provide the state and bar number may result in the Training Division not being able to report your attendance.
For us to report your attendance for CLE purposes, during online registration, you must provide the following information: Bar numbers, including their respective states. Only include those states where you are seeking credit. Attorneys seeking CLE credit must ensure that they stop by the program registration desk for daily check-in and check-out. Failure to follow these steps will result in us being unable to process your CLE credits.
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER REGISTRANTS
If admitted into the program, there is no Conference Identification Number (CIN) for this event. However, if you reserve your lodging under the room block by the cut-off date, your lodging will be placed on our master account. The name used during registration must match the name used when reserving your hotel reservation, if the names do not exactly match, we will not be able to cover your lodging cost. Don’t forget, you MUST also register using your fd.org email.
REGISTER TODAY!
When registering, we ask that you use your work email address to help eliminate duplication. Please use this link to REGISTER. You will be placed in “pending” status until we have an opportunity to confirm your eligibility for the program, and we will notify you within one week about whether you have been accepted for the program. If you are accepted, you will receive a confirmation email of your enrollment in the program, and you will be provided with information on how to make your hotel reservation.
If assistance is needed with registration, please email Shiloh Puello at shiloh_puello@ao.uscourts.gov.
HOTEL
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Canopy by Hilton Ithaca Downtown. Once your registration has been confirmed, you will receive details on how to make lodging arrangements in our group block. Thank you for your interest in this very important program.
If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Shiloh Puello at shiloh_puello@ao.uscourts.gov or if require additional logistical information, please contact Chastain Smith via email at Chastain_Smith@ao.uscourts.gov.
Thirty-First Annual National Federal Habeas Corpus Seminar (NHS)
August 6-9, 2026
Nashville, Tennessee
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
This nationally recognized program, the only one of its kind, focuses on representation in capital post-conviction and habeas cases in toto. Among other topics, experienced capital habeas litigators will address the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions (and cases currently pending in the Court) on capital post-conviction and clemency practice, as well as sessions addressing new developments and trends in the federal courts of appeal and other state and federal courts. There will also be sessions on emerging trends in capital cases where intellectual disability, competency, or other aspects of a client’s mental health or cognitive abilities are at issue. The program will also address new legislative initiatives and administrative actions that may affect capital habeas representation. There will also be a track for those new to capital post-conviction practice. Individual case consultations will also be available, upon request, to persons attending the seminar. 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 individual in federal collateral review; state court practitioners who are currently appointed or seeking appointment in a federal capital habeas corpus proceeding; attorneys in state capital post-conviction defender offices; 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. Attendance for this year’s program is limited to 200.
CIN NUMBER FOR FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER REGISTRANTS
Please provide the following Conference Identification Number (CIN) to the individual in your office who is responsible for processing the paperwork associated with authorizing your travel to this event: CONF260023. This code is needed in order to track the total funding spent for this event and must be indicated on your travel voucher.
FACULTY
In addition to HAT counsel John Blume, Mark Olive, Wendy Peoples, Keir Weyble and Emily Paavola, and national mitigation coordinator Susan Garvey, we will be joined in Nashville by many nationally recognized experts on federal habeas corpus, post-conviction and clemency practice and a number of leading forensic mental health professionals.
CLE (Please read before registering):
We have applied for CLE accreditation in states that have mandatory requirements. We regret that we cannot respond to telephone inquiries regarding the status of CLE approval prior to the workshop. All information related to CLE will be emailed to attendees within 15-30 days following the program.
• To minimize reporting fees per attorney/program, if you are barred in more than one of the following states NM, TN, PA, NE, attendance will be reported to one state only.
• The attorney is responsible for making sure the appropriate state and bar number is on file with the DSO Training Division.
• For applicable states, attendance will be reported using the bar number and state(s) listed on the registration form submitted for this program.
• Failure to provide the state and bar number may result in the Training Division not being able to report your attendance.
For us to report your attendance for CLE purposes, during online registration, you must provide the following information: Bar numbers, including their respective states. Only include those states where you are seeking credit.
Attorneys seeking CLE credit must ensure that they stop by the program registration desk for daily check-in and check-out.
Failure to follow these steps will result in us being unable to process your CLE credits.
REGISTER TODAY!
When registering, we ask that you use your work email address to help eliminate duplication. Please use this link to REGISTER HERE. If assistance is needed with registration, please email Chastain Smith at Chastain_Smith@ao.uscourts.gov. **Please note- if you OPT-OUT of emails when registering, you will not receive the confirmation email, nor any other communication related to the program.
SCHEDULE
Onsite registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 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 9, 2026.
HOTEL
The seminar will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown. Lodging rate at the Embassy Suites is $217 (government per diem). Details on how to make hotel reservations will be provided in the confirmation email.
Thank you for your interest in this very important program. If you have any questions regarding registration, please reach out to Shiloh Puello at Shiloh_Puello@ao.uscourts.gov or require additional logistical information, please contact Chastain Smith via email at Chastain_Smith@ao.uscourts.gov.