California Lawyers Association, Criminal Law

Criminal Law Section: Educating Trial Lawyers

By Albert Camacho Jr.
Chair, Criminal Law Executive Committee

The Criminal Law Section continues to adjust to the move to the California Lawyers Association and is excited about the possibilities that move offers. Members of our executive committee attended the inaugural Winter Leadership Retreat in San Francisco in February. As a result of that meeting, discussions are underway for Crim Law to partner with other sections to co-present at a standalone event later in the year. The Crim Law executive committee also sent a delegation to CLA’s first Legislative Day in Sacramento in March, where the members met with legislators on both the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees, and I took advantage of an opportunity to tour the new CLA offices. The executive committee will have its election meeting on Saturday, May 4, at the CLA office in Sacramento and will test out the new conference room!

Members of the Criminal Law Section are found in state and federal courthouses throughout California. We are defense lawyers, we are prosecutors, we are judges. What we have in common is a passion for both criminal law and public service. Our executive committee is comprised of men and women from all sides of the criminal bar with myriad experience in criminal law and trial work, creatively coming up with ways to teach all aspects of criminal law to its members.

To that end, we plan to provide webinars to assist criminal practitioners in preparing for this year’s Criminal Law Specialist Examination. These webinars will be provided over the summer, so stay tuned for more details. Even if becoming a Criminal Law Specialist is not on your wishlist, the webinars will focus on important aspects of criminal law, such as sentencing, criminal procedure and immigration. Additionally, we will be offering presentations at both the Solo Summit in June in Huntington Beach and at the Annual Meeting this October in Monterey. Traditionally, our programs have been well attended because we offer solid, “nuts and bolts” information to help inexperienced lawyers litigate matters in trial. This year will be no exception; our executive committee members always enjoy the chance to share their knowledge with other lawyers and help them become better trial lawyers. Another area that the executive committee is working on is outreach to the underserved areas of our state; we want to offer them live programming. Meanwhile, we continue to publish our Criminal Law Journal, which offers articles and practice advisories regarding numerous aspects of criminal law work.

For those of you fully or partially engaged in criminal practice, or interested in picking up hints about trial advocacy, the Criminal Law Section has much to offer you. Come join us!


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