Criminal Law

This program offers 1 participatory MCLE credit; 1 Legal Specialization in Criminal Law. You must register in advance to participate. From the initial stop, FSTs, PAS, and breathalyzer to use of experts, this seminar is for those who are just entering in their DUI practices, need a refresher course, and who practice in the civil arena but may have a client who has been charged with a DUI offense that includes alcohol, marijuana or other controlled substances. Speakers: Wade Chow,… Read more

This article is republished with permission from Law360 By Alan Ellis Alan Ellis Criminal defense lawyers consider Judges John R. Adams and Otis D. Wright II tough sentencers. Judges Justin L. Quackenbush and Walter H. Rice are viewed as being at the opposite end of the spectrum. With their reputations, it was interesting to learn how similar they were on what constitutes good defense sentencing advocacy. Judge Quackenbush sits in the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane and Judge Rice… Read more

Judge Cynthia A. Bashant of the Southern District of California in San Diego and Judge Jon D. Levy of the District of Maine in Portland were both appointed by President Obama in 2014 and confirmed at the same time. Read more

Criminal Law Section Executive Committee Members discussing our accomplishments during the 2018-2019 bar year Criminal Law Section Executive Committee Members discussing our accomplishments during the 2018-2019 bar year Albert Camacho, former Chair Criminal Law Section, and Tamara Benefield, Family Law practitioner, discussed the intersectionality of criminal law and family law in domestic violence cases at the California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting. Tamara Benefield, Family Law practitioner and Albert Camacho, Chair Criminal Law Section Criminal Law Section Executive Committee Members, Hon.… Read more

This article is republished with permission from Law360 Alan Ellis By Alan Ellis As this "Views From The Bench On Sentencing Representation" series of articles continues to develop, I have had the privilege of interviewing 12 federal judges to date. Each of the judges, of course, has his or her own style and philosophy. However, through conversations with each of them, I have recognized the value of sharing the thoughts of the judges on specific topics. For this article, I… Read more

This article is republished with permission from Law360 Alan Ellis By Alan Ellis In the first article published in this series on March 1, 2016, I shared some do's and don’ts for lawyers representing clients during sentencing. This information was gathered during interviews conducted with Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York and Senior Judge Mark Bennett of the Northern District of Iowa. For this second article in the series, I interviewed Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of… Read more

This program offers 1 participatory MCLE credit; 1 Elimination of Bias; plus legal specialization in Legal Ethics. You must register in advance to participate. The webinar will address jury challenges, the voir dire process, peremptory and for cause challenges, Batson-Wheeler motions, and jury selection techniques, including questionnaires. The webinar will offer general and legal specialization credit, as well as credit for elimination of bias. (I.e., through the discussion of challenges of members of cognizable groups”). Speaker: Jeffrey A. Aaron Read more

In an article published in the fall 2015 issue of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice magazine (“Advice from the Bench for White Collar Client Facing Sentencing”), I shared some of what I have learned from federal judges during my nearly 50 years of practice.[1] After that article published, I felt that an expanded, in-depth article that featured the experience, philosophy and viewpoints of those and other federal judges was needed. Law360 agreed, and a multipart series was born. Read more

All CLA members have complementary access to the Fastcase legal research system. To access Fastcase, login to your CLA account and click on Fastcase. On the next page, you have the option of clicking a hyperlink to directly view Sections publications, including the Criminal Law Journal. Editions of the Criminal law Journal are listed by date and volume. You can also download the editions as a PDF. Alternatively, you can locate and search Sections publications through the Fastcase system. Click… Read more

California felony sentencing law includes various sentence enhancements for: 1) crimes that involve the use of a gun; 2) crimes that involve members of a street gang; and 3) sexual offenses under certain circumstances. In many cases, the sentence on the enhancement is greater than that for the underlying crime being enhanced.  This webinar will discuss the firearm use enhancements, gang enhancements, mandatory consecutive sentencing rules in sex cases and the “One-Strike” sex statutes. Read more