As a criminal defense lawyer, staying up-to-date on the latest changes and developments in criminal law is an effective representation to your clients. Laws, procedures, and case law are constantly evolving, and even minor changes impact your cases and strategy.
Relevant news and legal publications
The best way to keep up with criminal law is to follow news sources and legal publications that regularly report on relevant cases, laws, and issues. National publications like The National Law Journal, Law360, and SCOTUSblog closely follow developments in criminal justice and will highlight important changes and cases. Look for stories on major court rulings, new legislation, policy shifts, and other topics pertinent to criminal defense. Setting up news alerts flag notable articles. In addition to national outlets, follow local news and legal publications. Staying on top of changes in your state and district will prepare you for how new developments may affect your specific cases. Bar association newsletters and law blogs localized coverage of legislative and judicial activities.
Review professional associations’ resources
Groups like the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), state defense lawyer associations and other professional memberships offer a wealth of resources to help members stay current. Take advantage of practice advisories that summarize need-to-know changes, webinars and CLEs on emerging issues, and forums to engage with peers. For example, NACDL sends out “Case Law Alerts” to notify members of court opinions.
Follow key government & advocacy websites
The government and advocacy groups maintain websites tracking criminal justice policy activities. The Department of Justice, sentencing commissions, law enforcement agencies, public defender offices, and reform organizations update on the issues they are working on. Review press releases, reports, proposed bills, and other publications from these entities. For instance, Families Against Mandatory Minimums publishes an annual “State of Sentencing” report with sentencing law developments.
Connect with colleagues
Fellow skilled defence attorney Brampton lawyers are vital resources for understanding how evolving laws and procedures affect real-world cases. Discuss notable developments at office meetings, local bar events, LISTSERVs, social media groups, and other forums that enable connecting with colleagues. More experienced attorneys have insights into how apparent changes have played out in court. Newer attorneys bring fresh perspectives. Are certain issues arising repeatedly in cases? Working through new impacts together is informative.
Review jury instructions
As criminal laws and case law shift, jury instructions also change to align with updated standards. Reviewing new or revised instructions reveals meaningful changes. For example, instructions may have language clarifying certain defences based on recent precedents. Instructions provide condensed explanations of legal principles, so tracking updates helps identify trends.
Examine rules of procedure
Procedure impacts every phase of the criminal justice process, so look out for revisions to federal and state rules of criminal procedure. Amendment highlights will summarize substantive changes, which may alter the defense strategy. Discovery rules, for example, affect access to prosecution evidence. Ensure you know how any modifications apply to your cases.
Read current cases and appeals
Reading up on current criminal appellate cases provides insight into how courts are interpreting laws and reacting to defense arguments. The issues criminal defense lawyers are appealing to provide clues as to the changing areas of law. Look for patterns in terms of which aspects of cases get appealed and where courts are open or resistant to certain defense positions. Appeals opinions will also spell out evolving precedents.
