Daubert Seminar in Las Vegas

[Alice Maceo]

ABFDE is hosting another Daubert Seminar in Las Vegas this November. Please see the information below and visit their website at ABFDE.org for registration information and forms.

Hope to see some of our forensic folks here!

The Paradigm Shift in Forensic Sciences

November 9-10, 2006
Las Vegas, Nevada

Sponsored by:
The American Board of Forensic Document Examiners
(www.ABFDE.org)

Daubert is still here and continues to play a pivotal role in the world of expert opinion testimony. Various forensic sciences, such as Documents, Fingerprints, and Firearms/Toolmarks have not been immune to these challenges.

During a Daubert hearing, the trial judge serves as a “gatekeeper” and must determine whether the expected trial testimony has a reliable basis in the knowledge and experience of the relevant discipline. In assessing the reliability of an expert’s testimony, the court may consider the following:
Whether the technique or methodology has been or can be tested
Whether the technique or methodology has been subjected to peer review
Known or potential error rates
Existence of standards controlling the technique’s operation
Extent to which the methodology or technique employed by the expert is generally accepted in the scientific community

The factors as laid out by the Daubert Court, although not intended to be a checklist, are routinely being utilized as such by the “gatekeeper”. The expert and the attorney must be prepared to present and discuss each factor. Failure to adequately address each of these may result in the exclusion of the expert’s testimony, or in the alternative, limiting the testimony of the expert at trial.

Recent court decisions have commented on the expert’s participation, or lack thereof, in proficiency testing. Experts from several fields, including the cognitive sciences, attorneys, experts in Documents, Latent Prints, and Firearms, and, Judge Domitrovich will discuss the court’s current focus on proficiency testing and error rates; and how these two issues can impact the forensic expert’s testimony.

The paradigm of the forensic sciences is the focus of this seminar. Ongoing cognitive science research, the courts interpretation of Daubert, and the steps each discipline has taken to address each of the Daubert factors will be discussed.
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Speakers include:
Judge Stephanie Domitrovich (Erie County, PA)
Dr. Itiel Dror (England)
Dr. Thomas Busey (Indiana)
Dr. Bryan Found (Australia)
Mr. David R. Ausbaugh (Canada)
Ms. Lisa Steele, Esquire (Massachussetts)
Mr. Ronald Nichols (ATF, California)
Mr. Derek Hammond (Georgia)
Ms. Alice Maceo (Nevada)
Ms. Jan Seaman Kelly

The exclusive list of speakers will discuss numerous issues pertaining to forensic science and Daubert, to include the following:

Judicial Expectations in Daubert Hearings
What Do the Courts Want?: Individual Error Rates and Peer Review
How the Cognitive and Visual Sciences Might Help (and Hurt) in a Daubert Hearing
Friction Ridge Identification Science: Theory, Technique including Error Rates, Operational Standards: How to Meet the Daubert Standards
The Appellate Process
Firearms: How It Meets Daubert
Firearms Challenges
Error Rates in the Medical Community

[Cindy Rennie]

Alice, do you have an idea of the cost of attending this seminar (including accomodation)?.

The ABFDE website does not mention the price, and I need a 'ballpark' figure to take to the Powers That Be (aka They Who Hold The Purse Strings).

Cindy

[Alice Maceo]

Hi Cindy! I pulled the following info from their registration form and it has the cost information for the seminar and hotel. Don't be afraid to mug the Powers That Be for that purse - we'll help raise the bail money!

Registration

Non-ABFDE Diplomates:
$450 per person by September 25th ($500 after Sept. 25, 2006)

ABFDE Diplomate attending Daubert Seminar (only): $375

ABFDE Diplomates: Workshop and Daubert Seminar: $525 total cost.
***Savings of $300!!******

Class size is limited to 120.

Check payable, in U.S. funds, to “ABFDE” or government voucher must accompany registration form.

Registration forms (see below) and payments should be mailed to:

Jan Seaman Kelly
c/o LVMPD Forensic Laboratory
5605 West Badura Ave. Ste. 120 B
Las Vegas, NV 89118
Phone: (702) 229-3963
Fax: (702) 259-0082
Email: qdwatchdog@aol.com

Cancellation Refund Policy

4 - weeks notice 100%
2-4 weeks notice 50%
2 weeks or less 25%
*Substitutions must be approved.
Hotel Information

Hotel registration and transportation charges are the responsibility of the registrant.

The Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 W. Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89103

Reservations: 1-800-675-3267
Reservations must be made Mon-Fri 7AM-11PM Pacific Time or
Sat-Sun between 9AM-5PM Pacific Time.

When making reservations you must identify yourself as an attendee of the ABFDE Seminar.

Room Rates: $60 Sunday- Thursday/ $110 Friday-Saturday/night


ABFDE reserves the right to cancel the seminar, with full refund, if there are an insufficient number of registrants.

The seminar is open to ABFDE diplomates; members of ASQDE, SWAFDE, SAFDE, AAFS (QD-section), CSFS, MAAFS, and MAFS; full-time examiners in Latent Print, Shoe/Tire marks, or Firearm/Tool marks.. Requests from applicants not meeting the listed requirements above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

[Steve Everist]

Registration

Non-ABFDE Diplomates:
$450 per person by September 25th ($500 after Sept. 25, 2006)

ABFDE Diplomate attending Daubert Seminar (only): $375

Alice,

Are they offering the ABFDE rate to members of the International IAI, for the Daubert portion of the seminar? I think they did that back in 2004.

[Alice Maceo]

Sorry Steve - no IAI discounts. According to Jan, this is the first year they are offering ABFDE Diplomates a break in price to attend just the Daubert Symposium. The previous Daubert seminars only had a price break for the ABDFE members attending both the QD workshop AND the Daubert Seminar.

[Cindy Rennie]

Is that $60 per night per room, or $60 total Monday to Thursday?

Am I dreaming?

[Alice Maceo]

The new Vegas is hardly cheap . . . $60 per night Sunday night through Thursday night and $110 per night Friday night and Saturday night.

And please note, I am NOT responsible for the misspelling of Dave Ashbaugh's last name (although I failed to notice it) - I copied it off of the ABFDE form and have let them know to make the correction (sorry Dave - Jan has a habit of spelling my last name "Mateo" - you're not alone)

[Terry A. Smith]

Cindy,
I'd expect the hotel would 'comp' the room for a high roller such as yourself. See you soon?

[Cindy Rennie]

High roller? Who you been talking to? Five'll get ya ten that they were making it up. Most of it.....