FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Musfeldt
Marketing Communications Manager
Phone: 877.648.2632; Fax: 720.890.7069
E-mail: smusfeldt@nita.org
Lawyers Training Lawyers To Better Represent Their Clients National
Non-Profit Brings Legal Advocacy Program to Oregon
Louisville, Colorado (February 11, 2008)—On February 22, thirty-three public defenders and criminal defense attorneys from small and solo practice firms located across Oregon will gather in Eugene at the University of Oregon Law School to participate in a training program sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (OCDLA).
The program will emphasize NITA’s learning-by-doing approach to teaching trial advocacy skills to attorneys. In addition to sponsoring the program, the OCDLA has contributed significant funds, time, and administrative work including finding facilities, materials, and hotels. While programs like this fulfill mandatory continuing legal education requirements from state bars, this program is designed to go above and beyond basic requirements and is offered at a minimal cost of $50 to attorneys who need the training.
The program will be hosted by four distinguished NITA faculty members: Special Counsel-Pro Bono Initiative of Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP, Marcia Levy (who is also the program’s director); Indiana State Court of Appeals Judge, Nancy Vaidik; Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law, Holly Hill; and NITA Trustee and Litigation Consultant, Kate Pflaumer. In addition to this, the program will be supported by seven local instructors including Martha Spinhirne, who has been an integral part of the program planning committee and also the Attorney Trainer for the Metropolitan Public Defenders Office in Portland, which is the largest contracting public defenders office in Oregon.
"Oregon does not have a program like this in either the criminal or civil areas of trial practice," said Spinhirne. "We are hoping the program in February will be the first of many such programs to be held on an annual basis to complement our regularly scheduled conferences. The NITA program provides a unique method of teaching trial advocacy in which the participant actually performs a trial, or various parts of a trial, in a controlled setting. This is a more effective method of learning trial advocacy than just listening to lectures. We try a lot of criminal cases in Oregon so being able to develop proficient trial skills is essential to successfully representing our clients."
During the program, attorneys will practice trial presentation in an intensive, focused environment, having their performances reviewed by multiple faculty members. The NITA cadre of volunteer faculty includes almost a thousand judges, attorneys, and professors from around the country, many of whom started out as public service attorneys themselves. As Martha Spinhirne said, “I’m excited to be trained as a NITA instructor, I’m excited to be a part of the program, and I’m excited to vastly improve on my 20 years of experience.”
The skills taught at the Oregon Outreach program are universal—the program has a similar curriculum to the standard NITA Trial Skills programs offered in over a dozen cities across the United States every year. NITA has a broad scope in that it trains attorneys of all experience levels who focus on a variety of areas of law. This program, however, is focused on defense litigation. The program is modified to address the special issues faced by public defenders and criminal defense attorneys. NITA is only able to sponsor such programs through the generous contributions of its donors. Having trained over 100,000 attorneys during the organization’s 37 years, NITA has helped shape the practice of law in profound ways.
For attorneys interested in attending a NITA program and joining the NITA extended community, more information on programs and how to apply can be found on www.nita.org or by calling 800.225.6482.
##
About NITA
The National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) is the nation’s leading provider of legal advocacy skills training. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Louisville, Colorado, NITA pioneered the legal skills learning-by-doing methodology over 35 years ago and has since remained the ultimate standard in continuing legal education. With an average student/faculty ratio of 4:1 and an all-volunteer faculty drawn from a cadre of judges, law professors, and practicing attorneys, NITA’s multi-day “boot camps” deliver unparalleled professional development for nearly 6,000 attorneys each year. As a public service organization, NITA provides, at little or no cost, the same high-caliber training we provide to the nation’s largest firms to legal service attorneys, public defenders, and attorneys who have chosen to work in child advocacy, tribal law, death penalty defense, immigration, domestic violence, and other vital areas of public interest. NITA is also the nation’s third largest publisher of legal publications. NITA’s references, texts, case files, and audio-visual materials are used by thousands of attorneys and are incorporated into the curriculum at over 85% of the nation’s law schools. For more information, visit www.nita.org.
