On July 16, 2009, the Project hosted a special two-part event in Boston at the John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse. Host US District Judge Nancy Gertner and Kathy Weinman, President of the Boston Bar Association, made opening remarks.
The first session of the program provided a “nuts and bolts” overview of handling death penalty cases. Robert Dunham, an Assistant Federal Public Defender for Pennsylvania, provided an introduction to the world of capital defense representation including basic information about training, timing, team members, ethical issues, investigations, and working with death-sentenced clients. Participants also learned about the different types of death penalty work available at the Project. Staff Attorney Emily Williams then provided an overview of the resources the Project offers to volunteer attorneys, including the Project’s newly redesigned websites.
Boston area volunteer attorneys Brian French of Nixon Peabody and Kenneth Parsigian of Goodwin Proctor talked about their experiences as volunteer death penalty lawyers during the afternoon’s second hour. Special thanks to our hosts and the Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations for cosponsoring our event!