CLE Wrap-Up

Many of these CLE's I attend are filled with very good speakers.  Unfortunately, the topics and presentations usually provide little in the way of practical tips for attorneys.  It's always a lot of theory and studies.

I tried to be practical and provide a guide for how to prosecute a juvenile in supreme court.  There were 140 attendees and the presentation was simulcast across the state.  Everyone gets to review each presenter.  We'll see how the reviews go when they all come in.  At least no one yelled out "back that thing up over here" like at a presentation I gave at a high school to curb DWI during prom season.

I did meet a professor of criminogenics (more on that to come in a future post) and many dedicated professionals who focus on rehabilitating children.  It is always interesting looking at the family court system which is focused on the best needs of the juvenile compared to the criminal adult system which is very punitive.  There were mixed reviews from the ADAs in the audience about the effects and differences between rehabilitative and punitive measures.  The main point that prosecutors focus on seems like the one thing that rehab and family court programs don't - the seriousness of the offense.

It was a late flight last night and an early morning at work catching up from the voicemails, emails, and files that pile up even with two days out of the office.  It was great catching up with some old friends and meeting new colleagues.  Check back Friday for a post about criminogenics and what it means.

Here's a preview.

On a different note:  I watched the Today Show as I got ready for the presentation yesterday.  They were interviewing a man who is in a custody fight for his dog.  He's spent $60,000 so far.  Anytime I think about turning my back on the criminal world and entering a civil firm, cases like this pop up and remind me why I've stayed in prosecution. 

Although $60,000 would be nice.