Upcoming HAT Seminars
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.