APDA Conference 2026

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

arrow_back View All Dates

3:15pm MST

Humanizing Our Clients Through Mitigation

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST

Over 90% of defendants plead or are convicted at trial. Given these statistics, there is no question that sentencing is the most important event in a criminal case. Getting our clients the best possible outcome at sentencing means presenting their story in the most compelling way to make a judge care. This translates to mitigation not just being necessary, but perhaps the most important part of a defense attorney’s job from day one. This presentation will provide an overview of how to collect mitigation in each of your client’s cases, as well as how to package it altogether to tell a compelling story.

Speakers

Teresa Boden

Social Worker, Pima Co. Public Defender

Teresa has been with the Legal Defender for three years. She works directly with clients to develop their social histories. She is particularly skilled at getting clients to open up and tell the most difficult aspects of their personal stories. Teresa takes that information and produces... Read More →

Cynthia Yializis

Attorney, Federal Public Defender

Cynthia Yializis is an assistant federal public defender for the District of Arizona in Tucson. Cynthia joined this office in March 2024, after having worked as an assistant public defender for Pima County for ten years. Prior to starting her career in indigent defense, Cynthia practiced... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST
TBA

Mitigation