The mission of the National Litigation Support Team (NLST) is to address the impact digital information has on court appointed criminal defense practitioners for the Defender Services program for them to fulfill their sixth amendment responsibilities. They assist counsel in identifying issues related to the collection, production, and management of electronically stored information (ESI, or also known as e-discovery or eDiscovery) and digital evidence. They provide technology, training, and resources for CJA panel counsel and Federal Defender Organization (FDO) team members to efficiently search, review, and analyze eDiscovery and digital evidence. The NLST also serves as a resource to the Defender Services program to assist in the long-range planning required to address issues relevant to the ever-evolving eDiscovery practices and policies.
For CJA panel attorneys, the NLST is your consultant, your resource center, and your sounding board for all litigation support aspects of your case from beginning to end. They are here to support both you and FDOs throughout the country. Whether you are considering what formats to request your discovery in, how to manage the eDiscovery you have received, or what type of technology you might like to use in the courtroom, they can help you figure out how to leverage technology to develop and present your theory of the case on behalf of your client.
If you have not worked with the NLST before and have questions or are interested in assistance, first reach out to Kelly Scribner as she can connect you with the right person on the team.
The National Litigation Support Team consists of:
National Litigation Support Administrator
Sean Broderick oversees the NLST. He provides guidance and recommendations to federal courts, federal defender organization staff, and court appointed attorneys on issues regarding electronic discovery and litigation support technology. Sean is the co-chair of the Joint Working Group on Electronic Technology in the Criminal Justice System (JETWG), a joint Administrative Office of U.S. Courts and Department of Justice working group which examines the use of technology in the federal criminal justice system and provides suggested practices for the efficient and cost-effective management of electronic discovery. He is a co-author of "Criminal e-Discovery, A Pocket Guide for Judges," Federal Judicial Center (November 2015).
Sean can be reached at Sean_Broderick@fd.org
Assistant National Litigation Support Administrator
Kelly Scribner is the director of operations for the NLST. She specializes in case management, workflow design and vendor relations. Before joining the NLST in June 2009, Kelly was the Director of Litigation Support Services for Loxodrome Solutions, Inc., a litigation support vendor which works with civil law firms in the United States on document management and discovery needs. Before this position, Kelly was a senior litigation paralegal for Affymetrix, Inc., a biotech company, and at Pillsbury Winthrop LLP in San Francisco. She has over twenty years of litigation support and legal experience, including project management of multinational civil cases, overseeing onsite document collection, the assessment and selection of technology vendors, training end-users on litigation support software, and the supervision of large teams of attorneys conducting the review of legal documents.
Kelly can be reached at Kelly_Scribner@fd.org
National Litigation Support Paralegals
Carl Adams joined the NLST in January 2022. Previously he was the Litigation Support Specialist for the Iowa Federal Public Defender Office for three years. At the FPD, Carl assisted with discovery management, digital forensics including Cellebrite extractions, audio and video editing, and exhibit creation. Carl enjoys trying to solve problems using inexpensive and open-source tools. Before joining the FPD, Carl clerked for state and federal judges, and worked briefly in bankruptcy and state criminal law.
Carl can be reached at Carl_Adams@fd.org
Nakiyyah "Nikki" Adams was the litigation support paralegal with the Federal Community Defender Office in Philadelphia, PA and the Federal Public Defender Office in Newark, NJ before joining the NLST in September 2023. Before working in the federal system, Nikki worked as paralegal at the Legal Aid Society in New York. During her career, Nikki spent considerable time using a wide range of litigation support tools such as Ipro Eclipse, Relativity, and Trial Director. Nikki graduated from law school in the Spring of 2023 and passed the New Jersey bar in Fall 2023.
Nikki can be reached at Nakiyyah_Adams@fd.org
Brian Brunelle served as the Computer Systems Administrator for the Federal Public Defender Office for the District of Connecticut for 26 years before joining the NLST in September 2023. Besides serving as the CSA in Connecticut, Brian has provided IT support for the Districts of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire at various times. During his tenure, Brian has dedicated an extensive amount of time to train CJA panel attorneys and Federal Defender staff members on how to use technology effectively for courtroom presentation, managing the challenges of large volumes of discovery, and overall case management strategies. He has also provided his knowledge in the forensic analysis of electronic evidence, created automated procedures for processing electronic discovery in his office, and served as faculty for various NLST workshops.
Brian can be reached at Brian_Brunelle@fd.org
Tisha Davis was a paralegal with the Federal Public Defender Office in Pittsburgh, PA for five years before joining the NLST in September 2023. In that position, Tisha was the lead paralegal on a 14-week-long capital trial, including taking charge of presenting evidence by using courtroom presentation technology. She spent much of her time assisting in the management of eDiscovery, creating fact chronologies, using software to visualize data, and helping in anything litigation support related as the need arose.
Tisha can be reached at Tisha_M_Davis@fd.org
Nelson Garcia. Before joining the NLST in September 2023, Nelson was a litigation support paralegal and Computer Systems Administrator for the Federal Public Defender Office for the Northern District of New York for more than 20 years. He assisted the office in its representation of clients through his knowledge and practical experience with digital forensics, eDiscovery, and litigation support. During his time with the Federal Public Defender Office, Nelson served as faculty for various national workshops put on by the Defender Services Office Training Division.
Nelson can be reached at Nelson_Garcia@fd.org
Claudia Kokot worked with the Federal Public Defender Office for the Western District of North Carolina for more than a decade before joining the NLST in September 2023. She was a trial unit paralegal and oversaw the organization and analysis of discovery received from the U.S. Attorney's office for all complex cases in the office. Claudia worked extensively on white collar fraud cases and developed an expertise using Ipro Eclipse and CaseMap. In addition, Claudia assisted with courtroom presentation for hearings and trials.
Claudia can be reached at Claudia_Kokot@fd.org
Luzevelia "Luz" Morales has over a decade of experience working in all aspects of indigent criminal defense from client intake, discovery organization, trial assistance, appellate work, sentencing preparation, and litigation support. Before joining the NLST in September 2022, Luz was a trial unit paralegal in the Western District of Washington Federal Defender Office (Seattle, WA) and the District of New Mexico Federal Defender Office (Las Cruces, NM). Luz has assisted with discovery management involving a variety of formats including multimedia files, computer and mobile forensic files, and proprietary files. Luz also worked with a CJA panel attorney at McGraw & Strickland, LLC. Her focus is on supporting FDOs with using Ipro Eclipse eDiscovery review databases, and CJA panel attorneys with direct assistance, including creating hyperlinked spreadsheets, converting proprietary audio and video files into industry standard formats, and other methods to assist them in efficiently reviewing government produced discovery.
Luz can be reached at Luzevelia_Morales@fd.org
Alicia Penn is a career public defender, having started with the Charleston County Public Defender, in Charleston, SC in 2009. She joined the Federal Public Defender office for the District of South Carolina in 2014. During her practice, Alicia learned how to use technology to work up a case, realizing that a good theory of defense combined with search and review strategies and technology can better help people manage their unwieldy discovery. Alicia has years of trial experience which she looks forward to drawing on when with working with CJA panel attorneys and Assistant Federal Defenders. She enjoys brainstorming cases and is excited to help defense teams obtain favorable results for their clients with a targeted and practical approach to technology. Alicia joined the NLST in September 2023.
Alicia can be reached at Alicia_Penn@fd.org
Alex Roberts focuses on the technical areas of litigation support and can assist with identifying what technology to use and when to use it. Alex has over 20 years of experience in the field of litigation support. Before joining the NLST in August 2009, Alex was a litigation support technical analyst and workflow coordinator for Foster Pepper, PLLC, a law firm in Seattle, Washington where he supervised and coordinated electronic discovery workflow, litigation software training, provided advanced legal database support and gave trial presentation consulting. Of note, Alex worked in the past with CJA panel attorneys in the Western District of Washington, consulting and participating in a number of complex CJA matters.
Alex can be reached at Alex_Roberts@fd.org
Joe Wanzala's experience has included a focus on leveraging eDiscovery solutions for complex litigation and identifying best practices. Before joining the NLST in September 2021, Joe was a trial paralegal with the Northern District of California Federal Public Defender Office in Oakland, California. Before that he worked at several law firms including Shartsis Friese LLP, Orrick, and Morrison & Foerster; developing specializations in regulatory enforcement and white-collar defense. He also worked as an investigator on death penalty cases for the California Appellate Project and was a policy analyst for the California Public Utilities Commission, Public Advocates Office.
Joe can be reached at Joe_Wanzala@fd.org
National Litigation Support Administrative Paralegal
Rocio Pizzano is the point person within the NLST regarding office administration and management, including assisting in national and local finance, procurement, and property management. Before joining the NLST in November 2018, Rocio worked for the Northern District of California Federal Public Defender Office in Oakland, California. She worked in the FPD office for 13 years, first serving as a Legal Assistant before becoming Branch Administrator.
Rocio can be reached at Rocio_Pizano@fd.org
Computer Systems Administrator
Derek Ametam. Before joining the NLST, Derek was a systems engineer for Forex Capital Markets in New York, NY for more than a dozen years, managing a group of administrators to help with the on-site upkeep of data centers and servers in the Mobile Device Management Department. As part of his work, he traveled globally to assist in the setup of new offices and data centers in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Australia, and Israel. He managed and deployed workstations, mobile devices, printers, and phones.
Derek can be reached at Derek_Ametam@fd.org