Public Defender Criminal Law Seminar

I wanted to notify you of one change to the schedule for the PDA seminar next week. Tejas Bhatt, a Senior Assistant Public Defender in Hartford, Connecticut, was scheduled to speak on implicit bias on Wednesday, June 20. Mr. Bhatt was recently appointed to the appellate bench in Connecticut and is no longer able to attend our conference. Des Moines attorney Thomas Newkirk has graciously agreed to do Wednesday’s presentation on “Implicit Bias in Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems.” Please find below a link to the updated schedule with the biographical information for Mr. Newkirk.

There are also two options available for attendees on Tuesday, June 19, that are not part of the formal schedule. One of our presenters, Rachel Regenold, has agreed to offer a free yoga session in one of the hotel salons from 5:15 to 6:00 on Tuesday evening. We will also have licensed massage therapists who will offer pay-per-minute massages using massage chairs in one of the salons from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Attendees would pay the LMT directly, and the standard rates should be around $1-$1.25 per minute for a minimum of 5 minutes.

As always, if anyone has any questions, please contact me directly at [email protected].

Theresa Wilson

2018 Seminar Coordinator

Host Office - Appellate Defender Office

It’s time to register for the 2018 Criminal Law Seminar put on by the Public Defenders Association of Iowa! This year’s seminar is Monday, June 18 through Wednesday, June 20, at the Ramada Tropics Resort and Conference Center in Des Moines.

The seminar schedule with information on a few of our guest speakers is available to download along with a seminar registration form that includes a pre-order form for seminar t-shirts. Our t-shirts this year were designed by Eight Seven Central, also known as the designers for Raygun. We encourage everyone who is interested in getting a shirt to preorder by May 25 – you can select the size you need and it will be waiting for you at the seminar! We will have only a few large and/or XL shirts available for sale at the seminar. There is a link on the order form you can follow for shirt measurements to ensure you order the correct size.  

We have a block of rooms available at the conference hotel for a reduced rate of $65 per night. Please mention your attendance at the seminar to receive the reduced rate, and make any reservations by May 20. Rooms in the block that are not reserved by May 20 will be released.

We will apply for both state and federal credit. We hope to get approved for 16 hours of state credit, including three hours of ethics. In other words, you can get all the credits you need from this one seminar!

As always, your registration for the seminar includes the luncheon on Tuesday.  We will have the usual hospitality offerings at the end of the day on Monday and Tuesday. In addition, one of our speakers – Rachel Regenold – has graciously offered to lead a yoga session following her presentation on Tuesday.

If you have any questions about the seminar, feel free to email me directly at [email protected] I hope to see many of you in June!

Theresa Wilson

2018 Seminar Coordinator

Host Office - Appellate Defender Office