What are the unique considerations and challenges in providing legal services to older adults to protect their rights against scams and frauds as well as sexual assaults and domestic violence? How do we empower older adults through access to information and services, and build community responses to address elder abuse in rural areas? In addition to these key questions, the presenters will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the service providers’ ability to reach older adults and innovative practices developed to overcome those challenges. The presenters will share practice pointers and relevant data and share resources to support elder abuse legal practice.

presented by

Avery Vinson, Silvia Torres, Allie Yang-Green, and Megan Wood

The human trafficking field has not been immune from the impact of systemic racism despite efforts to protect victims, especially in the criminal legal system. BIPOC survivors of human trafficking continue to be victimized by the criminal legal system in criminal defense, victims’ rights advocacy, and criminal record relief. This session will focus on how B IPOC survivors continue to be victimized by the criminal system whether through being disproportionately arrested, charged and/or convicted for crimes they were forced to commit by the traffickers, pressured to serve as a victimwitness under threats of criminalization, or the use of diversion courts to coerce survivors into engaging in services. Additionally, presenters will use the framework of Victims’ Rights Advocacy to provide useful practices for examining and confronting racism in the criminal legal system in the fight against human trafficking. Panelists will highlight through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) lens, the importance of Victims’ Rights attorneys in addressing racism within the criminal legal system, ways to assert victims’ rights and practical tools for engaging the criminal legal system from a CRT perspective.

presented by

Erika Gonzalez & Nagwa Ibrahim

Victims often struggle to identify where to turn for information regarding restitution after their offender is convicted. From court to corrections, restitution processes are often siloed with little communication and consistency between agencies. NCVLI Attorneys will present a hypothetical case to a panel of victim advocates and attorneys with experience advocating for and securing restitution to highlight the challenges presented from silos of practice and identify options for simplifying the process for victims.

presented by

Scott Beard, Terry Campos, Liz Cervantez, Pamela Ferguson-Bray, Rebecca Khalil, Josh Lamborn, and Gina Skinner

The U.S. legal system has historically marginalized communities with limited English proficiency. For crime victims within those communities, access to holistic legal services requires culturally responsive language access services.

This session discusses language access barriers Native American victims and tribal communities encounter and highlights ways to overcome them.

Through this lens, the presenter and participants will discuss how legal resources and remedies are conveyed to and evaluated with crime victims across languages and cultures.

Presented by: Ada Pecos Melton, MPA, President, American Indian Development Associates, LLC (AIDA)

presented by

Ada Pecos Melton, MPA, President, American Indian Development Associates, LLC (AIDA)

This session will discuss strategies for collaboration of victim rights providers with medical providers to create new, non-traditional entry-points for crime victims’ rights access. Participants will learn about how the Network for Victim Recovery of DC, with support from NCVLI, and in partnership with MedStar Washington Hospital Center's Community Violence Intervention Program (MWHC-CVIP) built a medical-legal partnership (MLP) centered around crime victims’ rights access and underserved
populations. This session will cover challenges, lessons learned, and research findings that offer attendees concrete action plans for building MLPs within their communities.

presented by

Bridgette Stumpf & Matt Ornstein

In this session, experienced victims’ rights lawyers will discuss their experiences and share strategies to normalize the presence of victim counsel in state courts. When victims’ rights are new, practitioners are often met with uncertainty and resistance on the part of courts, prosecutors/district attorneys, and defense counsel in criminal cases. To effectively advocate for victims’ rights in trial courts and beyond, the presence of victim counsel must become an expected part of the criminal justice process. Staff from Arizona Voice for Crime Victims and Ohio Crime Victim Justice System, both of which are part of the national RISE Project will discuss how normalizing trial court practice can open the door for appellate review and systemic change. The presenters will share tips and filing suggestions from decades of practice that optimize the likelihood of success in opening state court doors to victims of crime and their counsel.

presented by

Elizabeth Well & Colleen Clase

From the start of a criminal investigation ­through post-conviction, crime victims may face multiple attacks on their privacy. Some come from obvious motions requesting protected records, but many more come from simple acts that call into question the privileges and confidentiality victims often may not even know they have. This training will examine the privileges and rules of confidentiality that affect victims, and consider strategies for raising and enforcing those rights to protect victims’ privacy.

presented by

Andrea K Rufo, Director of the Crime Victims’ Rights Project at Legal Action of Wisconsin

Lawyers are essential during times of crisis to help clients navigate a challenging array of needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified those challenges for lawyers and their clients, requiring lawyers to serve their clients in new ways. Lack of in-person communication, the suspension of court services, business closures, and remote work have increased lawyers’ use of and reliance on technology to provide competent and diligent representation. Throughout these challenges, obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct remain. Through the use of both actual and hypothetical scenarios, this training will help lawyers ethically address the key issues that have arisen during these challenging times.

presented by

Dayna Underhill, Holland & Knight, Portland

Access to justice requires competent legal advocacy, and yet too often victims of crime do not receive the legal representation that they need to protect their rights during the complex stages of criminal justice.  This presentation will provide attendees with an overview of how to assert and seek enforcement of crime victims' rights in a criminal case.  The presentation will identify the most common points in the criminal justice process when victims' rights are implicated, key motions victims’ attorneys may need to file, and some strategies to employ to protect victims' rights.

presented by

Terry Campos, J.D.

Affording crime victims their right to be heard at sentencing is often a crucial step for victims on their path to healing and finding justice.  Victims may exercise this right in a variety of ways, such as by making a written, oral or even recorded victim impact statement; or by filing a sentencing memorandum.

presented by

Terry Campos, J.D.