DUI/OVI Lawyers’ Seminar “All Others Will Be Crossed Examined”

Last week was the annual DUI seminar presented by the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (OACDL). The 2012 Advanced DUI Seminar was one of the best seminars I have been part of. The ballroom at the Westin Great Southern Hotel in Columbus, Ohio was overflowing on Thursday and Friday with attendees from across the state and across the nation. The attendees from other states were members of the National College for DUI Defense. Members of the NCDD must attend at least one seminar every two years that is sponsored or approved by NCDD, and the OACDL seminar is of one of few seminars that is approved by NCDD.

On Thursday and Friday, leading DUI attorneys from Ohio and across the country gave presentations and demonstrations. Thursday’s program included discussions of field sobriety tests, drugged driving, blood testing and breath testing, accident investigation, and the Intoxilyzer 8000. Topics on Friday included analyzing videos of DUI stops and arrests, jury selection, and pleadings in the DUI court process.

On Saturday was the first ever OACDL Trial Skills Workshop. We worked on the action method for case preparation, connecting with jurors, and the McCarthy method for cross examination. I was part of the faculty for the trial skills workshop, and I worked with outstanding lawyers like Patrick Barone, Bruce Kapsack, Josh Lee, Todd La Neve, and Michele Tjader. It was well worth giving up a Saturday for this workshop (and it finished just in time for the Buckeyes tipoff!).

Seminar attendees took away some practical tips they can incorporate in their practices, as well as hundreds of pages of written materials for later reference. For me, an added benefit was recharging my enthusiasm for my practice, and especially for trials. The tee shirt given to the faculty for the trial skills workshop sums it up: “In God We Trust…All Others Will Be Cross Examined”.

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