APDA Conference 2026

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

8:15am MST

So You Want to Be an Appellate Lawyer? TBAIan McCloskey ETHICS: The Benefits and Challenges of Being a Capital Litigator TBAErika Warner • Gary Beren Hearsay for Humans TBAJeremy Zarzycki • Victoria Otto Justified - Proving Self Defense at Trial TBAIan Service • Jeff Cloud You call that a crime? (Spoiler Alert: Yes!) TBASherri Colson • Mary McGary Axon’s AI Integrations and the Future of Police Investigations TBAEmily A. Parker • Hannah M. Eaton How to Obtain Legal Services for Your Indigent Client TBAMichael Bernays After the Verdict: Interviewing Jurors TBAJohn Champagne • Christine Ortega Analyzing Duplicity and Multiplicity TBAScott Boncoskey When Justice Isn't Served: Rule 8 and Service Violations TBAEddie Zakreski Investigating and Defending Prison Cases TBARalph McLaughlin The Defender's Toolbox for Public Speaking TBAJeni Benavides

10:00am MST

Is Originalism Enough? Competing Theories of Law and Constitutional Meaning TBAKevin Heade Representing Foreign Nationals in Capital Cases TBAAlyssa Dormer • Harriet McCulloch ETHICS: Protecting the Rights of Disabled Parents in Child Welfare Proceedings TBAMaryvonne Harbulot • Denise Carroll What Every Criminal Defense Lawyer Should Know About Forensic Science TBAJosh Cooner • JamieLynn Cooner Demystifying Gang Cases: From Paper Trails to Prison Terms TBAKatie Gipson McLean • Danial Gomez Immigration TBAKeith Hilzendeger • Michael Neufeld Tried Too Young: What Happens When Adolescence Meets Adult Punishment TBASamantha McLaughlin • Amy Faerber • Jessica Jimenez Special Action Crash Course TBAGrahame McNevin • Zachary Stern ETHICS: Small Wins, Big Results: Sustainability for Public Defenders TBA ETHICS: The Weight We Carry: Stress, Trauma, and Resilience in Criminal Defense PracticeRoss 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. JohnsonKevin Brady Die or DUI: Challenging Arizona's Arbitrary Limit on Justifications TBAEddie Zakreski

1:00pm MST

PLENARY: AI on Trial: Protecting Your Client from Digital Deception TBABrian Chase

3:15pm MST

ETHICS: Child Sex Trafficking: Defense Strategies and Ethical Boundaries TBARoss Carponelli • Robert Heieck Untimely and Successive PCRs after Anderson and Traverso TBARandy McDonald • Zach Buchanan Believe It or Not: Current Issues in Capital Trial Cases TBA Dependency Updates TBAJoseph Ramiro-Shanahan • Jessica Strain Forensic Firearms Identification TBADeborah Stonebarger Navigating Crypto: What Every Attorney Needs to Know About Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets TBATom Klepper • Mike Fleischmann • Donald Ellsworth ETHICS: Ethics Game Show and Updates TBASarah Howard • Micah Friedman • Shannyn Collins ETHICS: Intro to Autism TBAEileen Spangrud • Ron Jones • Luke Finch Humanizing Our Clients Through Mitigation TBATeresa Boden • Cynthia Yializis Probation: The Punishment That Follows You Home TBAKacie Nickel • Katie Krejci ETHICS: No Fluff. No Woo. Stay Sane in the Practice of Law TBACourtney Collins • Elizabeth Maupin First Impact: A Crash Course in Vehicular Homicides and Aggravated Assaults TBAAlfonso Castillo • Aurelie Couturier

8:15am MST

Preserve, Present, Prevail: The Art of Criminal Lower Court Appeals in Arizona TBARhonda Neff Capital Case Rule Amendments and Issues TBADavid Euchner • Kerri Chamberlin • Raquel Centeno-Fequiere ETHICS: Representing Children and Parents in Juvenile Court TBARachel Metelits • Jeremiah Jensen • Erin Bevins How To Fight Forensic Genetic Genealogy and Demonstrate DNA Debacles TBAChristine Burke Location Data - Is It as Reliable as Police Claim? TBABrian Chase How to Be Legally Competent for Your LGBTQ+ Clients in the Changing Legal Landscape TBAMarshall Bryan • Audrey Baumgartner ETHICS: Criminal Immigration Basics, Ethics, and Updates TBAMichael Neufeld • Tracy Abastillas ETHICS: Juror Investigations by MCAO TBAVictoria Washington • Kellie Sanford ETHICS: After Closing Argument / Post-Verdict / Post-Mistrial Practice TBASamuel Doak • Kush Govani • Maria McKee Developing Your Reputation as a Non-Lawyer TBAJeni Benavides Prison as a Death Sentence: When the State Incarcerates Your Medically Vulnerable Client TBAJared Keenan • Laila Ikram • Olivia Hicks

10:00am MST

Oral Arguments: Preparing for the Podium TBAGrace Guisewite Representing Clients in Clemency and Parole Cases TBAKatie Puzauskas • Tansha Harrell • Susan Stodola OPDS Updates for Capital Cases TBARosemarie Pena-Lynch • Steve Koestner ETHICS: Complex Ethical Issues in Dependency Cases TBABrian Strickman ETHICS: Westlaw, AI, and You TBAAbigail Smith ETHICS: When Your Criminal Client Becomes a Victim of the Civil System TBACaitlin Engstrand • Leland Damner Extradited Innocence - The Case of Javier Lorenzano-Nunez TBABill Daniels • Jessica Valdivia-Luna Overview of Using Genetics in Mitigation TBATennie Martin • Donna Lee Elm Litigating Delay: Pre-Indictment, Post-Indictment, and Sentencing TBAJesse Turner Prepare to Win: Pre-Trial Preparation TBACarissa Jakobe • Christopher Doran Advanced Legal Assistant Training: From Support Staff to Strategic Partner TBARoss Carponelli Spanish for Gringos: Spanish Words for Defenders Representing Clients from Northern Mexico TBADaisy Bustamante • Twyla Haggerty • Ariana Adams Challenging the Score: How to Identify Errors in the Presentence Report and Begin Breaking a Rigged System TBAJulian Kanter • Keenan Rambo • Matt Warzynski

1:30pm MST

Habeas Refresher 2026 TBAKeith Hilzendeger Representing Veterans In Criminal Cases: A Deeper Dive TBAArt Cody Case Law Update 2025-26 TBADavid Euchner ETHICS: What You Don’t Say Matters: Strategic Silence in Objections and Cross-Examination TBARoss Carponelli The Karen Read Trial: What Lessons Can Be Learned by Watching a Trial in Another Jurisdiction? TBAAbigail Smith ETHICS: The Do's and Don'ts of Juvenile Delinquency Trial Preparation TBAColleen Engineer • Terri Zimmerman • Mary McGary How Immigration Law Can Affect Parents and Children in Dependency Cases TBAValentina Restrepo Montoya • Marissa Anderson Cellebrite and Cellphone Forensics TBABrian Chase Work Smarter, Not Harder: Easy Editing Techniques for Better Legal WritingDawnese Hustad Homelessness and Vagrancy Laws: Issues and Strategies to Defender Unsheltered PersonsWendy White • Gary Pearlmutter Maiden Voyage into PD Work: How to Get the Most Out of Your First Year as a PD Without Burning Out TBATwyla Haggerty • Ariana Adams

3:15pm MST

Investigating, Litigating, and Winning in Post-Conviction Relief TBASeth Apfel Capital Case Law Update TBAJennifer Y. Garcia The New Dangerousness TrialsSarah Kostick • Adna Zeljkovic • Ashley Blum ETHICS: Dependency in the Real World: A Case Study in Complexity, Conflict, and Advocacy TBARobert Casey • Seth Draper • Jennifer Patterson ETHICS: Presenting and Challenging Forensic Evidence Ethically TBAAnjali Ranadive Psychopharmacology and the Law TBAKai Henderson Humanizing Your Client Through Mitigation in Non-Capital Cases TBASheri Castillo Bounty Law TBACatherine Parker-Williams Using Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) in Criminal Prosecutions TBADanny Evans • Emily A. Parker • Scott Boncoskey The ABCs of EDC (Pre-Arraignment Court) TBAAllyson Primack • Kaitlin Goodman ETHICS: The Ethics of Owning and Running Your Own Practice TBAOmer Gurion • Leah Schachar Peacekeepers: Mastering Conflict Prevention (De-escalation) TBAArlene Anderson • Corey Dewayne Smith The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: What's New in Sex Crimes Law and Legislation? TBABrittany Lamb • Jerald Schrek

8:15am MST

ETHICS: Capital Case Ethics Game Show TBAErika Warner Issues and Challenges in Juvenile Competency Reports TBAJason Max • Jackie Conley Digital Forensics: Year in Review TBABrian Chase Interrogations and False Confessions TBATim Agan • Amy Ellingson ETHICS: Your License or Mine: Ethical Responsibilities and Issue for Supervisors and Attorneys in Public Defender OfficesGary Pearlmutter • Wendy White Sexual Normalcy and Highlights of Recent Caselaw TBAErin Sutherland • Tatiana Struthers

10:00am MST

Challenging Jury Panel Composition in Capital Cases TBAKatie Krejci Search and Seizure Law TBANicki Sordello • Jeff Roth Nothing Is Insurmountable! TBADan Raynak Navigating the Educational System for Delinquent and Dependent Youth TBAEktaa Prasher • Andrea Anderson ETHICS: Opposing the Prosecutor's Firearm and Toolmark "Matching" Evidence and Testimony: How to Fight It, Limit It, and Make a Solid Record TBATom Glow ETHICS: Lights, Camera, Ethics! Memorable Film Scenes and Exploring the Ethical Dilemmas They Spark TBAAmanda Lauer Catching the Snakes: Using COBRA Data to Defend DUIs TBAGreg Benson • David Salazar

1:00pm MST

ETHICS: The ERs of AI TBAPatricia Sallen

2:45pm MST

ETHICS: Dark Humor The Ethics of Coping TBAKacie Nickel • Madison Best

APDA Conference 2026

From $11.18