In this presentation, Assistant Disciplinary Counsel for the Oregon State Bar, Alison Wilkinson, will discuss ethical obligations that are likely to arise when working with victims of crime. Through case examples and hypotheticals, you will leave this presentation with a better understanding of how to satisfy your professional responsibilities while best advocating for victims.

Civilian advocates and attorneys can provide valuable victims’ rights support and advocacy for victims in military justice proceedings – yet few non-military members are sufficiently familiar with the military justice system and how civilian-provided advocacy can support victims’ rights in military justice. Join members of the NCVLI legal team in a facilitated discussion with a seasoned military advocate and an experienced military attorney for victims that is designed to familiarize civilian victim service providers with military processes, rights and options for survivors. Participants will gain a better understanding of the military-connected programs available to victims and how civilian advocates and attorneys can provide victims’ rights support to military-connected survivors.

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.

People with disabilities are victimized at staggering rates. Despite the disproportionate number of people with disabilities who are crime victims, crimes against them are under-investigated and under-prosecuted. The presenters, drawing from their daily practice, will share concrete examples of the barriers their clients face and articulate strategies for overcoming these. Attendees will learn about how disability rights and crime victims’ rights complement each other; and how to holistically assess the needs of crime victims to ensure that those with disabilities can be best served.

This training will provide an overview of key motions seeking enforcement of victims’ rights, including motions addressing pseudonyms, pretrial release conditions, subpoenas for victims’ records, and more. In addition, the presenters will cover litigation strategies and practice tips to establish a solid foundation from which to protect victims’ rights.

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.