Agenda Faculty Hotel Exhibitor/Sponsor
SAVE THE DATE!
NACDL’s 19th Annual Forensics Seminar, “Making Sense of Science: Forensic Science, Technology & the Law” will be held at the Sahara Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, April 23-25, 2026.
BIG NAMES. BIG SCIENCE. NEW TECHNOLOGY. A BIG-TIME CLE EXPERIENCE!
Don’t miss this great opportunity for a no-nonsense, national networking CLE featuring the leading faculty in their respective fields.
WATCH A PREVIEW of last year's event to see what you can expect in 2026. https://youtu.be/hB_1G21Qllo
Agenda
The program agenda and faculty are subject to change.
| Thursday, April 23, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 3:30 pm | Early Registration & Exhibit Hall Open |
| Friday, April 24, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Registration, Exhibits & Continental Breakfast | |
| 8:00 am | Welcoming Remarks and Morning Announcements – NACDL President Andrew Birrell (Minneapolis, MN) & Program Co-Chairs Jonathan Brayman (Chicago, IL), Angelica Cogliano (Austin, TX), Jacqueline Goodman (Fullerton, CA), and Tamar Lerer (Newark, NJ) | |
| 8:15 am | Opening Plenary: A-Z of Trying a Forensic Heavy Case - Conveying Your Theory & Theme – Joseph Cavise (Chicago, IL) & Emily Prokesch (Atlanta, GA) | |
| FORENSIC SCIENCE TRACK | AI & TECHNOLOGY TRACK | |
| 9:15 am | Lessons from the Karen Read Trial – Making Forensics Understandable for a Jury – Alan Jackson (Los Angeles, CA) | Leveraging Technology in Criminal Defense: Complex Discovery and Beyond – John Ellis (San Diego, CA) |
| 10:15 am | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break | |
| 10:35 am | Blood and Ethanol: An Overview of the Science of Gas Chromatography – Patrick Barone (Birmingham, MI) |
The Ethics of AI: Navigating AI-Generated Evidence in the Courtroom – Brian Chase (Tucson, AZ) |
| 11:35 am | From Crime Scene Investigation to "Not Guilty!" – Jay Clark (Cincinnati, OH) and William 'Bill' Gallagher (Cincinnati, OH) | Exploring the Trustworthiness of AI and Hallucinations – Patrick Barone (Birmingham, MI) |
| 12:35 pm | Lunch break on your own | |
| 2:05 pm | DNA: Rapid Testing, Serology, and New Technologies – Laura Schile (Sun City, AZ) | Next-Gen Geolocation – Tom Beiser (Somerset, NJ) |
| 3:05 pm | From Chemistry to Courtroom: The Role of Toxicology in Criminal Cases – Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT (New York, NY) | Unmasking Facial Recognition Technology – Michael King (Melbourne, FL) |
| 4:05 pm | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break | |
| 4:25 pm | Pathology: Diagnostically Difficult Forensic Cases: Logistics and Case Examples – Dr. Gregory J. Davis, MD, FCAP (Lexington, KY) | Racialized Police Surveillance – Mitha Nandagopalan (New York, NY) |
| 5:25 pm | How Biomechanics and Firearm Experts Can Collaborate on Forensic Investigations – Christopher Eckersley, Ph.D., P.E. (Charlotte, NC) & Tony Dill, COL (Ret.) (Peachtree Corners, GA) | Cross-Examination of Digital Forensics Experts – Michael Waddington (Destin, FL) |
| 6:25 pm | Adjourn for the Day | |
| 7:00 pm | Welcoming Reception Location: TBA |
|
| Saturday, April 25, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 7:15 am | Registration, Exhibits & Continental Breakfast |
| 8:15 am | Morning Announcements – Program Co-Chairs |
| 8:25 am | Shooting Reconstruction – Amy Santoro (Kansas City, MO) |
| 9:25 am | Childhood Memory and Psychology in Sexual Assault Cases – Dr. Trent Terrell (Belton, TX) |
| 10:25 am | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break |
| 10:45 am | Cross Examination of the Forensic Interviewer in a Child Sex Case – Paul Cramm (Overland Park, Kansas) |
| 11:45 am | Applied Challenges to the Reliability of Ballistics "Matches" – Elayna Thompson (Newark, NJ) |
| 12:45 pm | Lunch break on your own |
| 2:15 pm | Cognitive Bias in Forensic Science and How it Effects the Reliability of Ballistics Testimony – Jeff Kukucka (Baltimore, MD) |
| 3:15 pm | K-9 Searches – Don Flanary (San Antonio, TX) & Jerry Potter (Two Rivers, WI) |
| 4:15 pm | Exhibits, Networking & Refreshment Break |
| 4:30 pm | Forensic Anthropology –Kimberlee Moran (Camden, NJ) |
| 5:30 pm | Seminar Adjourns until 2027! |
Faculty
- Patrick T. Barone (Birmingham, MI) *NACDL MEMBER
- Tom Beiser (Somerset, NJ) *NACDL MEMBER
- Joseph Cavise (Chicago, IL) *NACDL MEMBER
- Brian Chase (Tucson, AZ) *NACDL MEMBER
- Jay Clark (Cincinnati, OH) *NACDL MEMBER
- Paul Cramm (Overland Park, Kansas) *NACDL MEMBER
- Dr. Gregory J. Davis, MD, FCAP (Lexington, KY)
- Tony Dill, COL (Ret.) (Peachtree Corners, GA)
- Christopher Eckersley, Ph.D., P.E. (Charlotte, NC)
- John Ellis (San Diego, CA) *NACDL MEMBER
- Don Flanary (San Antonio, TX)
- William 'Bill' Gallagher (Cincinnati, OH) *NACDL MEMBER
- Alan Jackson (Los Angeles, CA)
- Jeff Kukucka (Baltimore, MD)
- Michael King (Melbourne, FL)
- Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT (New York, NY)
- Kimberlee Moran (Camden, NJ)
- Mitha Nandagopalan (New York, NY)
- Jerry Potter (Two Rivers, WI)
- Emily Prokesch (Atlanta, GA)
- Amy Santoro (Kansas City, MO)
- Laura Schile (Sun City, AZ)
- Dr. Trent Terrell (Belton, TX)
- Elayna Thompson (Newark, NJ)
- Michael Waddington (Westin, FL) *NACDL MEMBER
Hotel
Sahara Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
2535 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
All reservations within NACDL room block must be booked using the online reservations link below. Reservations over the phone are not available.
Online Reservations: https://book.passkey.com/e/51050099
Group rate: $99 + tax Thursday / $189 + tax Friday / $189 + tax Saturday (expires April 1, 2026).
Rooms/discounted group rates are not guaranteed once the block has been filled.
Sponsorship and Exhibits
Disclaimer: NACDL does not necessarily endorse or guarantee the quality, applicability, or discounts of the products and/or services of its exhibitors. Users of these products and/or services do so at their sole discretion and NACDL assumes no responsibility for them.
For information on exhibiting or sponsorships, please contact NACDL's Sales and Marketing Manager Jason Petty at jpetty@nacdl.org or call (202) 465-7637.
NACDL would like to thank the following sponsors, exhibitors, and affinity partners for their support and contributions:
PLATINUM Sponsor:
still available...
GOLD Sponsor:
still available...
SILVER Sponsor:
BRONZE Sponsor:
still available...
Welcoming Reception:
still available...
Wi-Fi Sponsor:
still available...
Seminar Materials Sponsor:
still available...
Lanyards Sponsor:
still available...
Tote Bag Sponsor:
still available...
Exhibitors:
Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi)
Metadata Forensics, LLC
Second Look Training and Forensic Consulting LLC
Code of Conduct
NACDL endeavors to foster a working, learning, and social environment free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and insult. To that end, NACDL has adopted a Code of Conduct for Affiliated Persons that applies to all attendees and participants of any kind at all NACDL sponsored events.
Learn More
