APDA Conference 2026 has ended

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APDA Conference 2026

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TBA

WELCOME LETTER WITH ALL HELPFUL INFORMATION INCLUDING PARKING, INTERNET, COURSE SCHEDULE, CLE, HOTEL MAP, AWARDS LUNCHEON AND SOCIAL EVENTS CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

7:30am MST

Wednesday Check in - Pick your badge and get it scanned in the Ballroom foyer

8:15am MST

So You Want to Be an Appellate Lawyer? IronstoneIan McCloskey ETHICS: The Benefits and Challenges of Being a Capital Litigator AbbeyErika Warner • Gary Beren Hearsay for Humans Palm Ballroom C&FJeremy Zarzycki • Victoria Otto Justified - Proving Self Defense at Trial San PedroIan Service • Jeff Cloud You Call That a Crime? (Spoiler Alert: Yes!) Joshua TreeSherri Colson • Mary McGary Axon’s AI Integrations and the Future of Police Investigations Palm Ballroom A&DEmily A. Parker • Hannah M. Eaton How to Obtain Legal Services for Your Indigent Client JokakeMichael Bernays After the Verdict: Interviewing Jurors XavierJohn Champagne • Christine Ortega Analyzing Duplicity and Multiplicity ColonnadeScott Boncoskey When Justice Isn't Served: Rule 8 and Service Violations CavettoEddie Zakreski Investigating and Defending Prison Cases CapistranoRalph McLaughlin The Defender's Toolbox for Public Speaking DoloresJeni Benavides

10:00am MST

Is Originalism Enough? Competing Theories of Law and Constitutional Meaning CapistranoKevin Heade Representing Foreign Nationals in Capital Cases ColonnadeAlyssa Dormer • Harriet McCulloch ETHICS: Protecting the Rights of Disabled Parents in Child Welfare Proceedings AbbeyMaryvonne Harbulot • Denise Carroll What Every Criminal Defense Lawyer Should Know About Forensic Science Palm Ballroom A&DJosh Cooner • JamieLynn Cooner Immigration JokakeKeith Hilzendeger • Michael Neufeld Tried Too Young: What Happens When Adolescence Meets Adult Punishment San PedroSamantha McLaughlin • Amy Faerber • Jessica Jimenez Special Action Crash Course DoloresGrahame McNevin • Zachary Stern ETHICS: Small Wins, Big Results: Sustainability for Public Defenders XavierJosh Messick ETHICS: The Weight We Carry: Stress, Trauma, and Resilience in Criminal Defense Practice Palm Ballroom C&FRoss Carponelli • Dawnese Hustad • Meghann St. Thomas That’s InSANE: Limiting the Medical Diagnosis Hearsay Exception in Rape and Strangulation Cases in light of State v. Johnson IronstoneKevin Brady Die or DUI: Challenging Arizona's Arbitrary Limit on Justifications CavettoEddie Zakreski

1:25pm MST

PLENARY: AI on Trial: Protecting Your Client from Digital Deception Palm Ballroom B&EBrian Chase

3:15pm MST

ETHICS: Child Sex Trafficking: Defense Strategies and Ethical Boundaries Palm Ballroom C&FRoss Carponelli • Robert Heieck Untimely and Successive PCRs after Anderson and Traverso CapistranoRandy McDonald • Zach Buchanan Believe It or Not: Current Issues in Capital Trial Cases Joshua Tree Dependency Updates Palm Ballroom A&DJoseph Ramiro-Shanahan • Jessica Strain Forensic Firearms Identification IronstoneDeborah Stonebarger Navigating Crypto: What Every Attorney Needs to Know About Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets AugustineTom Klepper • Mike Fleischmann • Donald Ellsworth ETHICS: Ethics Game Show and Updates DoloresSarah Howard • Micah Friedman • Shannyn Collins ETHICS: Intro to Autism San PedroEileen Spangrud • Ron Jones • Luke Finch Humanizing Our Clients Through Mitigation JokakeTeresa Boden • Cynthia Yializis Probation: The Punishment That Follows You Home ColonnadeKacie Nickel • Katie Krejci ETHICS: No Fluff. No Woo. Stay Sane in the Practice of Law XavierCourtney Collins • Elizabeth Maupin Supporting Attorneys with Different Working Styles CavettoArleene Ojeda • Alba Marron • Mary Sainz First Impact: A Crash Course in Vehicular Homicides and Aggravated Assaults AbbeyAlfonso Castillo • Aurelie Couturier