Conference Overview

With more than 90 separate sessions over three and a half days, Life in the Balance 2010 provided an opportunity to learn from and work with the most successful and forward-thinking attorneys, mitigation specialists, investigators, and experts from across the nation. Death penalty cases stretch us in every direction, requiring us to navigate politics and systemic challenges, to expand our skills and abilities, and to master law as well as science. The faculty at Life in the Balance has walked this walk many times, and offered expert guidance and instruction on such topics as:

• Mental health, including Atkins, the MMPI, and competence & execution
• Plea agreements and how to get them from your client, the prosecutor, the victim family, and the courts
• Race and culture, and their implications for the defense team, the jury, and the courts
• Motion practice and preservation of error
• Defense team dynamics
• ABA standards, ethics, and constitutionally effective assistance
• Science – real and fake – biological, crime scene, and psychological
• Juries – how to pick them, talk to them, and understand the way they work

Who Should Attend

Participants must be involved in the defense of persons accused in criminal cases, and are typically defense attorneys, mitigation specialists, and defense investigators. Participants come from a variety of practice settings – public defender offices, small or solo practice, and large “silk-stocking” law firms – and from all across the country, from small country towns to large metropolitan areas.

If You Are New to Capital Defense: Life in the Balance will offer training in all of the basic skills, from developing a relationship with your client and client’s family, to locating and interviewing witnesses, to gathering and organizing documents – and through every step of developing, preparing, and presenting the cohesive defense and mitigation evidence that will enable you to protect your client’s life.

If You Are a Seasoned Capital Defense Team Member: You can be assured of going home with new information and materials that will make a difference in your cases. Sessions will be presented on complex areas of death penalty representation, such as multiple defendant cases, cases crossing international boundaries, and federal death penalty prosecutions. Life in the Balance will provide new insights and methods for even the most experienced among us.

Capital Appeals, Habeas Corpus, and Post-Conviction Practice: Most capital cases do not end at the trial level. Life in the Balance will include sessions that cover the process from the moment a verdict is returned through cert in the Supreme Court. Experienced practitioners and experts will help you navigate the complex terrain of capital appeals and habeas procedure, and the painstaking methods of factual reinvestigation and presentation that post-conviction proceedings require.

Federal Capital Cases: We know that federal practice is different. Special sessions will be offered to address the nuances of capital defense in the federal courts.

Need Help With Your Case? Bring your case with you. Opportunities will be available for you to meet one-on-one with experienced lawyers, mitigation specialists, and investigators to talk over the thorny issues you are currently facing.

Testimonials from Past Conference Participants

Overall, everything about the conference is really excellent. NLADA’s preparation for the registration staff was really good. Everything was organized in a really professional manner. Oversight of all details and moment by moment preparedness made the whole registration process go beautifully. I also think that the course offerings were really comprehensive and met most needs.

As a person with a sort of hybrid role between attorney and investigator/mitigation specialist, I appreciated the sessions that allowed dialogue between these two groups.

As someone new and in awe of the work I've been tasked with, it's nice to know there's a network out there of folks who have done the work, do it well, and will help when they can. Many thanks for a great conference.

I have been to the last two Life in the Balance sessions and my partner has been to the last four. We think it’s the best thing going for death penalty advocates. It’s a great program that I appreciate very much.

All in all, a very good conference

This is the best conference and continues to be the best conference for folks working with the death penalty and representation. please keep up the good work. You are appreciated.

Overall, an excellent conference which I would (and have) recommend to colleagues and will attend again.

Overall as always a great conference.

Great conference! Really had a great time and learned alot!

For the first time, the NASAMS Sentencing Advocacy Training was offered contemporaneously with NLADA’s Life in the Balance, to offer attendees increased opportunities for networking while continuing LIB’s and NASAMS’ traditions of multi-track sessions. By offering both conferences at the same location and on the same days, NASAMS participants had the opportunity to choose from sessions targeting all areas of sentencing practice, including juvenile and non-capital cases, and capital mitigation, and LIB participants enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the fundamentals of sentencing advocacy.