SCARCITY OF APPELLATE TRAINING PROGRAMS PERSISTS

I have written before about the troubling lack of appellate training programs across the Commonwealth, and the perception of the appellate bench that we as a group emphatically need the training.  While we have made some progress, the problem persists.

For many years, the principal source of appellate training has been a biennial program sponsored by Virginia CLE .  This was, according to the calendar, supposed to be the year (I attended the last one in 2004), but the folks at that entity have decided to forgo the program in 2006 because of a lack of demand.  The good news is that, at least for now, you can view the 2004 seminar online from the company’s web site.

At this point, the only live Virginia programs of which I am aware are those at which I will be one of the presenters.  I am speaking to the Fredericksburg Bar Association on Monday, July 24, and will address the VADA and the VTLA on consecutive days in October.  The VADA program will include Justice Cynthia Kinser and Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Charles Poston; we will discuss preservation of issues for appeal.  The VTLA program will be my Ten Appellate Commandments presentation.  The State Bar’s Appellate Practice Subcommittee will present the third in a series of appellate practice symposia this autumn, most likely in southwestern Virginia.

And that’s it.  If you know of any other programs, on either a state or local level, please let me know, so I can help to publicize them.  As you are probably aware, the appellate courts are increasingly intolerant of errors by counsel.  We cannot afford to ignore this danger.