| POLICE MISCONDUCT LITIGATION (SEATTLE)
Plaintiff's Strategies For Winning Tough Cases
Sponsored with the National Police Accountability Project and the
University of Washington School of Law
Please Note: This course has already
been held.
Date: Friday, January 28, 2005
Location: University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA
Time: 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Schedule/Agenda
Registration Information
Unable to attend but are interested in the course materials?
Purchase Here! |
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To help lawyers successfully bring police misconduct cases, the National Police Accountability Project of the National Lawyers Guild, along with the Center for Advanced Legal Studies of Suffolk Law School, are bringing together experts on police misconduct to teach techniques you can apply in your practice. Attorneys from the Lawyers Guild have taken the lead across the country in developing strategies for successfully litigating police misconduct for the past 30 years. The Police Accountability Project consists of plaintiffs’ attorneys across the country. Come and learn what you need to know to navigate your case through the minefield of challenges in this area.
The day will conclude with a Case Clinic, in which faculty will be available for one-on-one consultations with program participants. You can present a problem in one of your cases to an expert for advice. Bring your most difficult problem to the seminar and let us help you with it!
Attend and Learn:
- How to increase your chances of success in a police misconduct case by thorough case evaluation.
- How to draft a police misconduct complaint. When should you include a claim against a municipality or a supervisor and when is it best to bring only individual claims.
- Strategies to avoid summary judgment based on qualified immunity. Is there any hope for plaintiffs in Hope v. Pelzer?
- When absolute immunity will not protect a prosecutor.
- How you can maximize damages for civil rights violations. How to present damages in a civil rights case for wrongful death.
- How to select an unbiased jury in a police misconduct case.
- Tips in trying a suit against law enforcement officers in a society where people’s fear of terrorism may make them biased in favor of the officers.
- How to draft a fee agreement to protect your right to statutory attorney’s fees. Ethically negotiating a settlement when one element of damages is your right to fees.
- Taxation of civil rights cases where there is no physical injury. How to ethically advise your client of the tax consequences of a settlement or verdict.
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD’S
NATIONAL POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT For more information about NPAP, please visit: http://www.nlg.org/npap
To join NPAP, call (617) 227-6015 or emai npap@nlg.org
| S C H E D U L E / A G E N D A |
| 8:45 |
Welcome and Introductions |
Howard Friedman, Chairperson
Board President of the National Police Accountability Project
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| 9:00 |
Introduction to Police Misconduct Litigation |
- Summary of potential section 1983 causes of action in police misconduct cases
- How to evaluate a claim
- Who should you sue?
John Muenster, Muenster & Koenig, Seattle, WA
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| 9:45 |
Probable Cause: The Touchstone of a False Arrest Case |
- When can you successfully bring a false arrest claim
- When can a person refuse to identify himself?
- Can a person be arrested for failing to produce an identification card on request?
Fred Diamondstone, Seattle, WA
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| 10:40 |
Municipal and Supervisory Liability |
- Proving municipal liability
Professor Eric Schnapper University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA
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| 11:25 |
Qualified and Absolute Immunity |
- How to avoid summary judgment
- When can a prosecutor or judge be sued?
Janet L. Rice, Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender, Seattle, WA
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| 12:30 |
Lunch (On your own) |
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| 1:45 |
Assessing and Proving Damages |
- Maximizing damages
- Proving damages for wrongful death
R. Samuel Paz, Esq., Culver City, CA
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| 2:30 |
Jury Selection and Trial Techniques |
- Selecting a jury after 911
- Voir dire
- How to keep a jury’s attention
- Overcoming prejudice in favor of law enforcement
Darrell Cochran Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim, LLP
Tacoma, Washington Honorable Theodore Spearman, Superior Court
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| 3:35 |
Fee Agreements and Settling Fee Claims |
- Tax implications
- Drafting a fee agreement
- How to ethically negotiate a settlement including attorney’s fees.
Howard Friedman, Moderator Fred Diamondstone, Esq., Seattle, WA
Professor Eric Schnapper, Seattle, WA
Steve Strong, Esq., Bendich, Stobaugh & Strong PC, Seattle, WA
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| 4:30 |
Case Clinic |
| Individual meetings with faculty to discuss issues
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| Date: |
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Friday, January 28, 2005 |
| Tuition: |
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Tuition is $249.00; $199.00 for attorneys admitted to the bar after 2001, NPAP and NLG members. Tuition includes course book. This course is FREE for law school students, but does not include the course book.
Hotel: A block of rooms have been reserved at the Best Western University Tower Hotel until December 27, 2004. Call 206-634-2000 and ask for the Suffolk University Group Rate, $99.
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| Walk-Ins: |
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Space is limited. Registrations at the door are welcome, but please register in advance to reserve a seat and your written course materials or call to confirm space availability.
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| Refunds: |
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Written requests for cancellation received via fax or email 24 hours prior to the program will be granted a refund, minus a $15.00 charge. If you cannot attend, you can send a substitute, otherwise you will receive the written course materials.
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| Location: |
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University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA
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| Credit: |
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This program has been approved for 5.75 General CLE Credits in Washington State.
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Special
Needs: |
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If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify us as soon as possible.
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Directions to the Law School.
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Unable to attend but are interested in the course materials?
Purchase Here! |
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|
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