The Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel (FDPRC), the Capital Resource Counsel (CRC), the Federal Capital Appellate Resource Counsel (FCARC) Projects and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Office of the Defender Services (ODS), are pleased to announce the 21st annual Federal Death Penalty Strategy Session which will take place on Thursday, November 8, Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia at the W Hotel Atlanta Midtown, 188 14th Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia. The Strategy Session will begin Thursday night at 5:00 p.m.

This training is free of charge and is intended for CJA attorneys, Federal Defenders, mitigation specialists and investigators assigned to represent persons charged with federal capital offenses or who are appealing federal death sentences. It will cover, among other topics, legal and case related developments as well as other issues relevant to federal death penalty litigation, including appeals. There will also be presentations related to developing and presenting mitigation evidence as well as mental health issues.

The Training Branch of ODS has limited funds available for financial assistance to those otherwise unable to attend this event. Priority will be given in those instances where the nature of the case and/or the experience level of appointed attorneys or other team members indicates a more substantial need for training. Assistance is limited to the cost of airfare or other travel means, the cost of accommodations, or both. The deadline for applying for financial assistance is September 17, 2012. The application form is attached.

With advance notice, there will be opportunities for team consultations - please notify Kevin McNally (kmcnally@dcr.net) if your team will be present at the seminar and would like to arrange a time for a meeting and consultation with Resource Counsel. These meetings will be scheduled sometime during the conference.

To register, please fill out the attached registration form and return it to Kevin McNally's assistant, Rachelle Chattin, at chattin@dcr.net, or fax: 502-227-4669. If you are currently representing a federal death penalty client, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to enroll in the program on-line beginning August 6, 2012, as well as information about how to make your hotel reservation. Our block of sleeping rooms has been set aside at the Royal Sonesta, at the government rate at the time of the seminar. The government rate is currently $133.00 per day, but new government rates will go into effect on October 1, 2012.

If you are not currently representing a federal death penalty client, you will receive an e-mail informing you that you have been placed on a waiting list until we are able to determine whether we have the capacity to accommodate your request to attend. If you have never been assigned to a federal death penalty client, your application may be rejected, depending on space limitations.