Event Calendar

Live Seminar & Live Webcast: Post Conviction Relief: A Crash Course for the Court-Appointed Lawyer

Date: August 1, 2008
Time: 8:20am-12:15pm

Seminar Agenda
8:20 a.m. Registration
8:50 a.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. The PCR Process from A to M
Tara Dawn Shurling, Esquire

* Can I get out of this?
    Court appointments and you: some options to consider
* Where to start:
    Finding the client; contact with SCDC; setting up contacts outside of SCDC
* The necessary documents:
    What you need up front and what to consider as the case develops
* Meeting the client:
    Dealing with SCDC; dress codes; count times; contraband
    (highlighters - who knew?); finding and notifying the client who is out of custody
* Advising the client about the risks of a PCR: 
    What you can raise in a PCR and what must be raised administratively; what if the
    client wants to drop his applications; how to end the process and document your
    advice
* Dealing with client demands:
    What documents should you provide; inmate grievances and procedure
* Motions for dismissal without a hearing:
    How to respond; some defenses to consider
* Subject matter jurisdiction issues:
    What’s left in the wake of Gentry?
10:30 a.m. Mid-morning Break
10:45 a.m. The PCR Process from N to Z
Tara Dawn Shurling, Esquire
* Cases involving trials:
    Was there an appeal; were issues missed by appellate counsel; was it an
    Anders case; making the case for a belated direct appeal remedy
* Guilty plea cases:
    Standard of review; common issues and misconceptions
* Hearings:
    How they are scheduled; how to prepare; witnesses and documents you need
* Preparing your client for the PCR hearing
* Proposed orders:
    Some practical advice about drafting a good order; format and rules about service
    and filing
* Follow-up after the hearing:
    Obtaining a ruling
* Drafting a Rule 59(e):
    Format; whom to serve; follow-up
* PCR appeals:
    Proper filing; turning the file over to the Appellate Division of the SC Commission
    on Indigent Defense; what documents to send
* Closing your file and ending the attorney-client relationship
* Getting paid:
    SCCID filings, rules, and electronic filing requirements
12:15 p.m. Adjourn

About the Seminar
The South Carolina Bar-CLE Division is proud to present two important and powerful seminars on PCR cases. The first of these convenient half-day programs is designed to help the shell-shocked appointed lawyer successfully negotiate the complex PCR process, while the second is designed to help the criminal law practitioner avoid PCRs altogether.

As a transactional, in-house, or civil law practitioner, are you ready for your next PCR appointment? Do you have the tools, resources, and knowledge to handle these cases, or will you be scrambling to find the answers to everything from "Can I get out of this?" to "How do I get into the prison to see my client?" to "What documents do I need?" to "What can I expect at the hearing?" to "How do I get paid?"

If you are a criminal law practitioner, do you know what you need to do to protect yourself from PCR claims? Are your files organized and complete? Is your case documentation in order so as to withstand the charge of ineffective assistance of counsel?

These unique programs, both taught by Tara Shurling, whose experience with PCRs is unrivaled in South Carolina, will provide comprehensive and unerring guidance on how to handle PCRs for the appointed lawyer and how to avoid PCRs for the criminal law practitioner.

The first seminar, scheduled for Friday, August 1 at the South Carolina Bar Building and broadcast via live web cast, is specifically designed to walk the shell-shocked PCR appointed civil practice lawyer through the PCR maze with step-by-step instructions on everything you will need to know from first client contact through closing your files. Nothing will be left to guesswork and there will be plenty of time in this small-group atmosphere for questions!

The second seminar, offered on Friday, August 15 at the Columbia office of Nexsen Pruet, is designed for experienced, as well as inexperienced criminal law practitioners, and will provide the kind of guidance that you need to maintain a clean and complete case file that will be PCR-proof!

Each of these important seminars is offered as a convenient and affordable half-day program - but register for both and save $55.00 or register for both webcasts and save $65.00!

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to master the PCR process!

Mandatory CLE (MCLE) and Legal Ethics &
Professional Responsibility (LEPR) Credit Hours

Day 1 Live Seminar:
This program qualifies for 3.0 MCLE credit hours
Please click here to register for Day 1
Day 2 Live Seminar:
This program qualifies for 3.0 MCLE credit hours
Please click here to register for Day 2

You will have the option to pick either Day 1 or Day 2 or Both Days.
If you Choose Both Days you will qualify for the discount!

Day 1 Live Webcast Only:
This program qualifies for 3.0 MCLE credit hours
Please click here to register

Day 2 Live Webcast Only
This program qualifies for 3.0 MCLE credit hours
Please click here to register

Day 1 & 2 Live Webcast Only
Please click here to register for Both Days to qualify for the discount!

Day 1 & Day 2 Live & Webcast Seminars:
This program qualifies for a total of 6.0 MCLE credit hours

Event Type: Seminars