Upcoming HAT Seminars 

National Seminar on the Development and Integration of Mitigation Evidence/Intellectual Disabilities
April 24-27, 2025
Columbus, OH

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
This seminar has been held annually since the Supreme Court decision in Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003), which recognized the need for thorough mitigation investigation and acknowledged the importance of the non-lawyer who had compiled the mitigation in the successful post-conviction presentation.  Twenty-two years after Wiggins, this year's seminar will address cutting edge scientific research relevant to the development and presentation of mitigating evidence, changes in the constantly evolving legal landscape, and new empirical research addressing how jurors respond to sentencing phase evidence.  The program will also include presentations on the use of narrative, finding and telling humanizing stories, the use of social history investigation in litigating Atkins claims, the importance of pleas, how to select appropriate experts and frame referral questions for mental health evaluations, and strategies for obtaining adequate time and funding.  As always, the faculty will include university-based researchers as well as litigators, mitigation specialists, and mental health experts.  Breakout sessions will include a beginners' track on mitigation basics as well as advanced workshops on specialized problems.  This seminar is designed for, and attendance is limited to, federal defenders, CJA panel attorneys, mitigation specialists, investigators, and attorneys interested in representing an inmate in federal collateral review, and state court practitioners who are currently appointed or seeking appointment in a capital proceeding in federal court.

CIN NUMBER FOR FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER REGISTRANTS
If you are an employee of a federal public defender office, 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: CONF250026. This code is needed to track the total funding spent for this event.

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.

SEMINAR REGISTRATION
While registration is free to attendees, DSO-TD covers the necessary funding to present this program. As a result, please register only if you can attend and if you are unable to attend, please notify us immediately.  We kindly ask that you use your work email address for registration purposes and to help eliminate duplication. For registration, please CLICK HERE. A confirmation email will be sent to you after registering.  If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder.  

SCHEDULE
We expect that on-site registration and materials pick-up will commence at 3:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24th, and the seminar will conclude by 12:00 noon on Sunday, April 27, 2025.

If you have any logistical questions or require additional information, please contact Chastain Smith via email at  Chastain_Smith@ao.uscourts.gov. All registration and/or CLE inquiries should go to Shiloh Puello at  Shiloh_Puello@ao.uscourts.gov

Anthony G. Amsterdam Capital Post-Conviction Skills Seminar ("The Habeas Institute") 
June 5-8, 2025 
Duke Law School
Durham, NC

The Anthony G. Amsterdam Capital Post-Conviction Skills Seminar is sponsored in part by The National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). This interactive seminar is designed to teach and hone the skills participants need for effective capital post-conviction litigation, including interviewing witnesses, introducing evidence in court, cross-examining witnesses, and arguing the case to the decision-maker.  Further information about the program and registration will be posted in the future.

30th Annual National Federal Habeas Corpus Seminar
July 17-20, 2025
Cincinnati, OH

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the National Habeas Seminar, the only program of its kind focusing on representation in capital habeas cases in toto and open to Attorneys of all experience levels working in Capital Habeas Units, CJA Panel Attorneys and others who represent death sentenced inmates in federal habeas corpus proceedings. Among other topics, experienced Supreme Court Advocates and Capital Habeas Practitioners will address the impact of this term’s 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 relating to the application of AEDPA.  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 likewise address new legislative initiatives and administrative actions that may affect capital habeas representation.  For those new to capital post-conviction practice, the program offers an introductory track.  Individual case consultations will also be available, upon request, to persons attending the seminar.  

Registration will open by late April.