Join us for an in-depth Supreme Court term review designed specifically for criminal defense attorneys. We examine significant decisions from the 2023 term, their implications, emerging trends in Supreme Court jurisprudence, and preview cases on the docket for the 2024 term.

Patrick O’Donnell highlights some of the ethics issues that arise in internal investigations. How can competent counsel also take care to be ethical counsel?

NACDL, with its diverse membership of 10,000 spanning state, federal, and military practice, wishes to express its views on preferred Commission priorities. We concur with other advocates and stakeholders that current sentences are excessively long, and certain sentencing factors disproportionately affect racial minorities within the criminal legal system. Whatever issues the Commission determines to prioritize, these flaws should be foremost in considering potential amendments.

This month Dan Lawton reviews Justice at Trial: Courtroom Battles and Groundbreaking Cases by James J. Brosnahan.

As the nation’s preeminent provider of continuing legal education for criminal defense lawyers, NACDL’s White Collar Crime Policy Department develops and hosts programs designed particularly for attorneys who practice white collar defense. From the annual Defending the White Collar Case Seminar, known as the nation’s premiere White Collar CLE program for networking and getting the inside scoop on the biggest white collar cases of the day, to stand alone briefings on cutting edge topics like willful blindness and honest services program, NACDL is the best source for education programming.

The government’s successful use of civil injunctions to halt the sale of fraudulent COVID-19 cures has put the Anti-Fraud Injunction Statute in the spotlight. The statute is a unique hybrid of civil and criminal law, and confusion exists as to the proper evidentiary standard. This confusion presents an opportunity for defense lawyers, but they must prepare themselves for the statute’s complexities and landmines.

The attorney-client privilege is fundamental to fairness and balance in our justice system and essential to corporate compliance regimes. Without reliable privilege protections, executives and other employees will be discouraged from asking difficult questions or seeking guidance regarding the most sensitive situations. Available on this page are policies, press releases and other guidance from various government agencies relating to the Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Doctrine.  

Jim Brosnahan reveals 10 lessons for trying white collar criminal cases.

on Employee Compensation Clawbacks

Department of Justice guidance issued in March 2023 provided prosecutors with a set of criteria to use when evaluating the compliance programs of corporations facing a resolution to criminal charges, such as a plea agreement, deferred prosecution agreement, or non-prosecution agreement.

Rule 17 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides the only means for a criminal defendant to obtain materials from third parties. Despite its broad language, the courts’ application of Rule 17 over the years has seriously limited its usefulness. Marci LaBranche and Carey Bell discuss problems with how the rule has been applied, the current state of Rule 17(c) practice, and how to make a record that encourages change.

The Sentencing Guidelines provide for an increase in the offense level for most fraud or theft offenses based on the amount of “loss” determined by the court. Loss is not defined in the Sentencing Guidelines. However, the commentary defines loss as “the greater of actual loss or intended loss.” Megan Siddall explores a new argument that loss should be limited to actual loss – and not intended loss – in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kisor v. Wilkie.

White collar lawyers must weigh various considerations in determining how to obtain mobile phone data or limit the government’s access to data. When can the government compel a client to provide the passcode to a mobile device? What is the significance of whether an executive’s mobile phone is owned by the executive or the corporation? This article provides tips about obtaining, protecting, preserving, and reviewing data on mobile phones.

White collar cases are complex, and the clients in these cases are often part of society’s higher social strata. From “being bold” at the first meeting with the client to dealing with the client’s desire to talk to the press, veteran defense attorney Jim Brosnahan offers 10 tips that will make a white collar representation smoother.

Federal statutes should provide a person of ordinary intelligence fair notice of what is prohibited, but the term “property” is undefined by the federal fraud statutes. The internet, untethered digital currency, and the metaverse are raising questions about the traditional understandings of things and possessions. Legislators need to provide greater clarity about how older statutes apply to newer concepts.

The NACDL Board supports legislative efforts to reform existing federal restitution law to ensure fairness and accuracy; prevent restitution obligations from being overly burdensome; and to make it easier for restitution orders to be satisfied.