Seminars

Continuing Education for Criminal Trial Lawyers

For the past ten years Ken Swartz has served at the Program Chair of the annual Advanced Federal Practice Seminar, sponsored by the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar which draws experienced Florid Bar lawyers from across the state of Florida, who practice federal criminal law, to receive continuing legal education in the federal criminal field. Each year this seminar covers a variety of important topics in the federal criminal law. It covers the recent cases from the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and recent developments in the Federal Sentencing areas. Speakers also present on important topics in the federal practice intended to help experienced lawyers gain an edge in their practice. Experienced and prominent lawyers serve as speakers at this seminar offering advice, practice pointers, updated law, and cutting edge developments in criminal defense. The content of the topics of this seminar are intended to educate lawyers whose experience level.

This year, the event took place at the Hilton in downtown Miami on January 18, 2013. Some of the topics included:

1. Avoiding bad immigration consequences in federal plea bargaining;
2. Defending the federal fraud case – discovery tools, management, and ethics;
3. Eleventh Circuit Overview — Sentencing and other Federal Criminal developments; and
4. Cutting edge litigation in Federal fraud cases – Identifying, developing, managing and presenting facts to maximum favorable outcome; and
5. Winners, losers, dogs and other participants in the Supreme Court’s Fourth Amendment Jurisprudence

A Panel of Federal Criminal Law Experts

All of the prominent speakers featured in the 2013 seminar were recruited by Ken Swartz who worked with the speakers in developing their topics. Below is the list of this year’s speakers.

Mary Kramer, a prominent South Florida lawyer in field of immigration law. Her topic provided key strategies in looking for alternative plea solutions that avoid removability, an obligation of the criminal defense attorney has for representing the alien. Mary Kramer’s seminar underscores the importance of immigration training in today’s Miami where the Hispanic population makes up the majority.

Don Samuel, who is the author of the Eleventh Circuit Criminal Handbook, spoke on the recent cases out of the U. S. Supreme Court affecting the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. Don’s in depth knowledge of the Supreme Court’s decisions was another highlight of the seminar.

Ben Kuehne spoke on the federal court cutting edge litigation topic. Ben’s successes and accomplishments in complex and protracted trials has earned him a wealth of experience for this important topic. Ben is well versed in both trial and appellate practice throughout the state of Florida and the nation.

In 2012, Michael Caruso was appointed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to serve as the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida. Based in Miami, Michael Caruso leads a criminal law firm consisting of over 40 lawyers. Michael spoke on the topic of defending the Federal fraud case, a topic he mastered as a seasoned trial lawyer in the Federal courts.

As one of the leading appellate lawyers in the Federal Public Defender Office, Bernardo Lopez, showed his knowledge and skills with his presentation on the Eleventh Circuit overview. Bernardo gave the participants a valuable survey of the recent developments in federal criminal law from the court of appeals. This seminar 5 CLE credits including one ethics. Audio CD or a DVD of the 2013 seminar as well as seminars from past years may be ordered from the Florida Bar at www.floridabar.org/CLE