Sentencing Advocacy Workshop

This sentencing advocacy program is being offered via Zoom on Thursday, July 17th, and Friday, July 18th, 2025, from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM each day. There will be a lunch break from noon to 1:00 pm on both days. CLE credits will only be awarded to attorneys who complete all 12 hours of instruction.

Audio and video capability are required for this training, and participants will be expected to be on video at all times during the training. The use of a laptop or desktop computer is highly recommended for this program.

Day 1 of the program will focus on instruction in sentencing advocacy, including:

• Preparing yourself and your client for the presentence interview
• Presenting mitigating evidence
• Preserving issues for appeal through objections at sentencing
• Storytelling in sentencing arguments
• Preparing your client for allocution
• Steps to drafting an effective sentencing argument

Day 2 will provide a forum for participants to practice a sentencing argument in one of their real cases and receive feedback from the program faculty.

Participants will earn 12 hours of CLE credit for participation in the full program, and the program will apply toward the skills training requirements of Standard 1. Again, CLE credits will only be awarded to attorneys who complete the entire program.

To be eligible for participation in the program, you must be a licensed attorney representing indigent defendants within the State of Michigan. You must plan to participate in the entire two-day program.

This program is limited to 12 participants. A waitlist will be compiled once the program is full.

This free program is made possible by the generous Byrne JAG grant awarded to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, JAG-72458-Michigan Indigent Defense Commission-2025.

This project is supported by Byrne JAG #15PBJA-21-GG-00248-MUMU and 15BJA-22GG-00642-MUMU awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Program, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and administered by the Michigan State Police (MSP). Points of view or opinions contained within this document do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the MSP or DOJ.

Host or Publisher Keeley Blanchard, Trial Skills Simulation Program Manager