State rules of professional conduct limit when attorneys and certain non-attorneys with whom they work can communicate directly with crime victims who are represented by counsel. This training explores these limitations in the context of victims’ rights law and practice. NCVLI will provide a brief overview of the scope and application of no-contact rules to communications with represented victims. Two experienced victims’ rights attorneys – Jamie Balson from Legal Services for Crime Victims in Arizona and Mariam El-menshawi from California Victims Legal Resource Center – will then share their experiences with, and practice tips for, navigating no-contact rules while also facilitating victims' access to their rights.

Trauma-Informed awareness is a critically important factor in successful lawyering. This presentation will give participants an overview of how trauma affects both clients and attorneys. It will also provide practical skills for attorneys in their advocacy work for children and adults who have been the victims of violence. In addition, it will address steps attorneys can take in their own self-care while dealing with trauma in their clients.

Participants will receive an overview of the options that a victim of crime may have after, during or as an alternative to criminal prosecution. The program will identify common civil claims arising out of criminal acts, and will explain the mental and financial benefits of those claims for the victim. Additionally, the CLE will highlight legal traps which occasionally diminish the value of the claims or prevent victims from pursuing such claims altogether.

NCVLI's Meg Garvin and Terry Campos, who combined have 35 years experience in victims' rights, will review key developments and lessons learned in victims' rights from cases decided across the country in 2022. Building on these, they will look ahead and identify how these lessons can inform litigation and policy development in 2023.

Crime victims often require legal advocacy for a multitude of legal needs while seeking justice. Crime victims who are immigrants carry an additional layer of legal considerations. This training will examine unique challenges and opportunities that immigrant crime victims must navigate while interacting with the criminal justice system. During this session, a panel of three presenters will bring their own perspectives as an immigration attorney, prosecutor and advocate to deconstruct real scenarios that illustrate the complexities and diverse systems with which an immigrant crime victim must engage.