Virtual Training Event Description
This is the sixth virtual Andrea Taylor Sentencing Advocacy Workshop (SAW). In contrast to the in-person 2½-day program, virtual SAW will be a course that engages participants in multiple ways over the course of five consecutive days, from Monday, September 8, 2025, through Friday, September 12, 2025.
The Sentencing Advocacy Workshop teaches a comprehensive approach to sentencing where participants are trained to develop persuasive, fact-based, sentencing theories, and are provided with the advocacy skills necessary to advance their theories both in writing and during sentencing hearings. Pre-recorded presentations for this workshop include client-centered communication, interviewing for mitigation, fact busting, developing persuasive theories and themes, storytelling at sentencing, persuasive writing, and persuasive presentation.
This virtual program will use a combination of pre-recorded presentations and live workshop sessions. Each of the recorded presentations will correspond with one or more of the workshop sessions. The recording corresponding to the workshop session must be viewed prior to attending the workshop session. For example, for Day 1, prior to attending the live Workshop Session 1, “Fact-Busting the Case,” on September 8, 2025, participants must view the 60-minute Recording 1, “Fact-Busting the Case.” All recordings will be available to view approximately two weeks prior to the corresponding live workshop session. Instructions for watching the pre-recorded videos and attending the workshop sessions will be provided in advance of the start of this program.
The five live 120-minute workshop sessions will be led by skilled facilitators in small group settings. These sessions will be held from 3:30 – 5:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), on five consecutive days, Monday, September 8, 2025, through Friday, December 12, 2025.
As with our traditional in-person workshops, participants will get on their (virtual) feet and practice skills and receive peer feedback. Participants are encouraged to bring their own case to this program. We have a limited number of spots in this workshop; therefore, we require each participant to commit to timely watching the recorded presentations (total of 7 hours, plus 1 optional hour) and to actively attending all live workshop sessions (total of 10 hours).
CLE Applicable Event
VIRTUAL PROGRAM:
This is a virtual program. Defender Services Office Training Division, (DSOTD), generally seeks CLE accreditation for participants and faculty attending virtual programs. CLE for this program will be sought in all applicable jurisdictions. However, actual CLE approval is at the discretion of each bar association/organization. Notably, you must attend the entire virtual program to receive full CLE credit. To minimize reporting fees per attorney/program, if you are barred in more than one of the following states: NM, TN, PA, NE, attendance will be reported to one state only. Attorneys are responsible for making sure the appropriate state and bar number is on file with DSOTD. For states that require DSOTD to report attendance, attendance will be reported using the bar number(s) and state(s) listed on the registration form submitted for this virtual program. Failure to provide a state and bar number may result in DSOTD not being able to report your attendance. Within 30 days of the completion of this virtual program, DSOTD staff will send attendees a post program email with a CLE information sheet detailing the amount of CLE credit approved by each state, a uniform certificate of attendance and a program agenda. If you have further CLE questions about this program, please contact the DSOTD contact listed above. For general CLE questions, visit our CLE information center or email DSO_CLEAdmin@ao.uscourts.gov.
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