2025 Western All-Star Conference & Confabulation

2025 Western All-Star Conference & Confabulation

Federal Defender Services of Idaho is excited to announce the line-up for the 2025 Annual Western All-Star Conference & Confabulation. We are at JUMP in the Pioneer Room this year for an in-person, two-day event on September 11-12th. We are pleased to offer scholarships for State Public Defenders, and support staff are welcome to attend Thursday’s NLST training free of charge with the purchase of attorney admission. Please note that Thursday’s session will be hands-on. Participants are required to bring their laptops and have Adobe Acrobat Pro and dtSearch installed and fully configured prior to the session

Cocktail Party Sponsored by IACDL at JUMP (The Deck) is set for Friday Septmeber 12th at 5pm.

CLE pending approval with the Idaho State Bar

Tickets

One day (Thursday or Friday only): $45

-or-

Two day (Thursday & Friday): $85

Speaker Biographies

National Litigation Support Team: The mission of the National Litigation Support Team (NLST) is to address the impact digital information has on court appointed criminal defense practitioners for the Defender Services program for them to fulfill their sixth amendment responsibilities. They assist counsel in identifying issues related to the collection, production, and management of electronically stored information (ESI, or also known as e-discovery or eDiscovery) and digital evidence. They provide technology, training, and resources for CJA panel counsel and Federal Defender Organization (FDO) team members to efficiently search, review, and analyze eDiscovery and digital evidence. The NLST also serves as a resource to the Defender Services program to assist in the long-range planning required to address issues relevant to the ever-evolving eDiscovery practices and policies.

For CJA panel attorneys, the NLST is your consultant, your resource center, and your sounding board for all litigation support aspects of your case from beginning to end. They are here to support both you and FDOs throughout the country. Whether you are considering what formats to request your discovery in, how to manage the eDiscovery you have received, or what type of technology you might like to use in the courtroom, they can help you figure out how to leverage technology to develop and present your theory of the case on behalf of your client.

Justin Rosas: Justin Rosas is based in Medford, Oregon. He graduated from the University of Kentucky School of Law in 2006 and became a state public defender in Medford for the next six years. Since 2013, he has run the Law Office of Justin Rosas and practices throughout southern Oregon in both state and federal courts. Justin is a member of the CJA panel and has tried more than 100 cases to a jury. He is a member of the Faculty of the Oregon Trial Skills College (hosted by OCDLA), has served as Chair of the State Professional Responsibility Committee and has prosecuted bar violations against prosecutors for the Oregon State Bar Association. During the pandemic, he helped Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Foundation find attorneys for protestors around the Country. He is on the Board of Directors of NACDL, serves as Chair of the Diversity Committee and a member of the Membership, Public Defense, Decarceration, Police Accountability and Strategic Litigation Committees and the Puerto Rico Task Force for NACDL. He also serves on the Oregon ACLU Lawyers Committee and the OCDLA Legislative Committee. In his free time, Justin loves running marathon distance or longer races and is a huge fan of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball.

Dave Faherty: TBD

Larry Komp: Larry Komp received his law degree from Washington University of St. Louis in 1992. Larry practiced eight years with the Ohio Public Defender, Capital Resource Center and then Habeas Unit. In 2000, Larry relocated to St. Louis and entered private practice focusing on death penalty habeas. Larry represented clients in federal proceedings in Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. In 2017, Larry became the Capital Habeas Unit, Chief, for the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Missouri. Larry’s entire career has been dedicated to representing individuals sentenced to death. He has presented numerous capital federal circuit court of appeal oral arguments as well as to the United States Supreme Court.

Michael Bartlett: Michael Bartlett is the owner of Bartlett Law, PLLC, a Boise-based criminal defense firm. A past President of the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, he represents clients in cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies and has earned repeated recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Michael seeks to provide a holistic approach to criminal defense.

Erica Marshall: Erica L. Marshall is the President of the Board of Directors of the Idaho Justice Project where she uses her background as a policy attorney to work to improve outcomes for justice-impacted individuals and to end Idaho’s status as the lead incarcerator of women in the US.

Hanah Pugh: Hannah Pugh is an attorney at the Federal Defender Services of Idaho, where she works on appeals and dabbles in trial court litigation. Before joining FDSI, she clerked for Judge Danielle J. Forrest on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge B. Lynn Winmill in the District of Idaho. She teaches advanced advocacy at the University of Idaho College of Law and spends her free time running through Boise’s foothills.

Info: Strategies for Identifying, Retaining, and Preparing Experts, with an Emphasis on Mental Health.

Info: Preparing a Client for a Psychosexual Evaluation: Guidance for Defense Attorneys
This presentation will provide practical strategies for criminal defense attorneys preparing clients for psychosexual evaluations. The focus will be on helping clients understand the purpose and scope of the evaluation, including how it may affect sentencing, treatment recommendations, and future risk assessments. Attendees will learn how to guide clients in responding openly and transparently while managing natural fears or defensive instincts that could undermine the assessment. Emphasis will be placed on building client trust, demystifying the process, and promoting cooperation without compromising legal strategy or rights.

Info: A look at key Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court decisions from the past year, with a focus on issue spotting and legal shifts that impact criminal defense practice. Plus some practical tips on what helps—or hurts—when cases land in front of the court.

Host or Publisher Federal Defender Services of Idaho