Special thanks to Rey Merino (McAllen), President of the Hidalgo County Bar Association (HCBA) and TCDLA Board Member, for allowing TCDLA/CDLP to co-sponsor the Bill of Rights seminar held in McAllen on January 31, 2014. We also thank Carlos Sanchez, Executive Director HCBA, for all of his help on the event.
Thanks to CDLP and the CCA, we have started a new CLE initiative called Innocence Criminal Law 101. These will be a one-hour lunch and CLE on the campus of law schools in Texas. The first lunch seminar was held at the Texas Tech University School of Law on January 22, 2014. We thank Professor Pat Metze for coordinating the event. A second was held February 26 at St. Mary’s University School of Law, and we thank Stephanie Stevens for coordinating. There will be more to follow. Please check out the seminar schedule on our website.
Special thanks to our course directors, Rick Wardroup (Lubbock) and Carlos Garcia (Austin), for the Capital Case Litigation Initiative (CCLI) program held in Houston February 5–7, 2014. This was a three-day bring-your-own capital case training. The training focused on teamwork in the defense of persons charged with capital murder and facing the potential of a death sentence. Small group breakout sessions provided the opportunity to work on the implementation of the skills taught. The program had plenary sessions where attendees were educated on specific issues in capital representation, and the plenary sessions were followed by breakout sessions where the groups, most comprising two teams per group, applied the teaching to their individual cases. Thanks to our 13 faculty who came from across the country. Thanks to everyone’s help, we had 16 teams, which included investigators and mitigation specialists. We had a total of 62 participants.
This is the third CCLI program TCDLA has done. The funds for the CCLI program come from the U.S. Department of Justice to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and to TCDLA. The Center for American and International Law (CAILaw) in Plano handles the prosecutorial capital training.
TCDLA owes a huge thanks to Judge Barbara Hervey at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). She found the grant, then initiated the discussion with TCDLA and CAILaw to make the initial grant submission with the CCA in 2012. Thanks to the Judge’s leadership and foresight, justice is being served in Texas.
Special thanks to our course directors, Rick Wardroup (Lubbock) and Carlos Garcia (Austin), for the Mental Health/Capital Trial seminar held in Houston February 6–7, 2014. Thanks to everyone’s efforts we had 47 attendees.
Special thanks to our course director, Troy McKinney, and our speakers for the DWI Public Defender seminar held at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas on February 13, 2014. Special thanks to Dean Julie Forrester for allowing TCDLA to come on the law school campus and train. Special thanks to Mike McCollum, Adjunct Law Professor, for opening the doors of the Dedman School of Law to TCDLA. TCDLA could not have done these seminars without his help and support. Semper fi, Mike. Law-school students attended any of the TCDLA CLEs at no cost. Thanks to everyone’s efforts we had 60 attendees.
Special thanks to our course directors, Mike McCollum and Professor Chris Jenks, for the Veterans seminar held on the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law campus. Thanks to everyone’s efforts we had 33 attendees.
Special thanks to our course directors, Lynn Richardson, Public Defender Dallas County, and Rick Wardroup (Lubbock), for the Indigent Defense seminar held on the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law campus. Thanks to everyone’s efforts we had 92 attendees.
Special thanks to Anthony Haughton (Houston) and Alex Bunin (Houston), course directors for the 3rd Annual Honorable Craig Washington and Senator Rodney Ellis Seminar held at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston February 20–21, 2014. Thanks to their efforts and our speakers we had 111 attendees.
TCDLA wants to give special recognition to Dean Dannye Holley of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law for allowing TCDLA/CDLP to co-sponsor this event. Specials thanks to Ms. Prudence Smith, Assistant Dean of External Affairs, who helped put on the event and was instrumental in making this event a huge success.
The 27th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course is rapidly approaching. Please pre-register at our TCDLA website and make your hotel reservations as early as possible.
Please help us get the word out on the 18th Annual TCDLA Golf Tournament to be held on Wednesday, June 11, at the beautiful course in Silverhorn Club. The top three teams will be recognized. Registration fee includes lunch at 11:30 am. Shotgun start at 12:00 pm.
The TCDLA Board of Directors invites you to attend the TCDLA Annual Members Meeting on Saturday, June 14, 2014, immediately following the adjournment of the 27th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course. This should be approximately at 11:30 am in Ballroom B of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Please go to the TCDLA website for more information or call the Home Office (512-478-2514)
Are you interested in forming a local criminal defense bar? Need help getting organized? Please contact Susan Anderson (Dallas), , or Ray Rodriguez (Laredo), , co-chairs of the TCDLA Affiliate Committee.
Good verdicts to all.
