2026 Fall Meeting & Seminar

Mental health and behavioral issues are present in a significant portion of criminal cases---but too often, they are misunderstood, underutilized, or mishandled in litigation. Beyond the Diagnosis is a comprehensive, defense-focused seminar designed to give defense practitioners practical, courtroom-ready tools for identifying, understanding, and litigating mental health and neurodevelopmental issues at every stage of a criminal case. This seminar goes beyond labels and DSM checklists to explore how mental illness, trauma, and brain development actually affect behavior, decision-making, competency, and culpability---and how to translate that understanding into effective advocacy with judges and juries. Attendees will gain insight into: Trauma and criminal behavior, including Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn responses and their relevance to mitigation, NCR, and defenses; Adolescent brain development and how it supports mitigation and defense strategies; NGI and competency, including when and how to litigate each effectively; Representing autistic clients, with a focus on communication, defenses, and mitigation; Practical strategies for communicating with mentally ill clients; Ethical challenges when litigating competency, forced medication, or NGI conflicts with a client's expressed wishes; Effective cross-examination of the State's expert in competency and mental health cases; Leveraging social workers and mental health professionals in trial preparation and sentencing advocacy; Red flags to identify mental health, neurodevelopmental, or cognitive issues during client meetings; Inside the mind of a psychotic client---and how to bring jurors into that reality; Political radicalization and hate crimes and the psychology behind them; The Sequential Intercept Model (Miami Model) and how it can inform defense strategy; Voir dire in cases involving mental illness; Presenting mitigation when NCR or competency are not viable; Challenging and combating the State's expert's diagnosis; Litigating competency, including commonly used evaluation instruments and applicable legal standards. Whether you handle misdemeanors, serious felonies, or capital cases, Beyond the Diagnosis will sharpen your ability to spot issues early, collaborate effectively with experts, and persuasively present mental health evidence---without losing sight of client autonomy and ethical obligations. If you defend people, not crimes, this seminar is for you. Plan now to join your nationwide colleagues in Salt Lake City!