North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Sarah Olson
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 Time: 3:00–4:30 p.m. ET Location: Online | No CLE credit Offered at no cost by NACDL to their members and non-members Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are tracking vehicles across the country—collecting location data, creating detailed records of people’s movements, and increasingly becoming part of criminal investigations. But how does …
What the Flock? How ALPR Surveillance Works, How It’s Abused, and How to Challenge ItRead More
// by Sarah Olson
Free to attend webinar series offered by Center for Forensic Science Research and Education Drug-impaired driving continues to challenge law enforcement as the drug landscape becomes increasingly complex. Unlike alcohol impairment, the effects of drugs, and particularly combinations of drugs, can vary considerably, making roadside detection and investigation more difficult. Evolving patterns of drug use …
Roadside Intelligence: Emerging Drug Trends & Impaired DrivingRead More
// by Sarah Olson
NACDL white paper finding that competent, ethical use of AI is now part of a defender’s professional duty. The paper provides roadmap for how to verify AI output, protect client confidentiality, vet vendors, and build an office policy. It includes a model policy for defender offices or firms.
Parity in Practice: The Defender’s Duty to Ethically Use AIRead More
// by Sarah Olson
The NLS Blog has many posts that are useful to criminal practitioners covering various topics related to digital evidence. Recent posts include a post-Chatrie primer for suppression litigation and new information about cellular area searches. Defenders can subscribe to the blog to receive an email each time a new article is posted.
National Litigation Support Blog for Federal/Community Defenders and CJA PractitionersRead More
// by Sarah Olson
Live webinar presented by Heather CoxAug 6, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated School records often contain valuable information that can help explain a client’s behavior, development, educational needs, and life circumstances—but only if attorneys know where to look. As part of our neurodiversity webinar series, this program will provide criminal defense attorneys with …
// by Sarah Olson
This project has compiled model motions that criminal defense attorneys can adapt and use to request information about law enforcement’s use of digital surveillance technologies, ranging from facial recognition to license plate readers to other forms of location tracking tech.
// by Sarah Olson
Held that a geofence warrant is a search. SOG post about the case is here. Link to opinion here. A NACDL Practice Advisory for defense counsel following the Chatrie decision is available here.
// by Sarah Olson
Live webinar presented by Raj V. Patel, MD, FACEP, FAAEMJuly 9, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Medical records can contain critical information for understanding a client’s history, functioning, diagnoses, trauma exposure, and support needs—but many attorneys receive thousands of pages of records with little guidance on how to interpret them. In this webinar, …
// by Sarah Olson
Manuscript by Jeff Welty, May 2026
// by Sarah Olson
The NC Association for the Management and Treatment of Sex Offenses is offering a free webinar on Zoom that is open to criminal defense attorneys working on sex offense cases. The focus of the program is on vicarious trauma and resilience. Please register in advance of the program if you are interested.
The Wounded Healer’s Journey: Vicarious Trauma and Reclaiming ResilienceRead More
// by Sarah Olson
(1) In aggravated death by distribution, the State need not prove that cocaine alone caused death where the evidence showed the cocaine worked in concert with other drugs; (2) the statute does not require the defendant to have distributed the controlled substance directly to each victim; (3) expert testimony based on certified toxicology reports does …
State v. Wise, No. COA25-683 (N.C. Ct. App. June 3, 2026)Read More
// by Sarah Olson
Live webinar presented by Brittany Bate, Ph.D. (she)June 4, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Criminal defense attorneys represent clients whose experiences are shaped by both neurodiversity and gender identity. Research and clinical observations suggest a higher incidence of transgender and nonbinary identity among neurodivergent individuals, creating important considerations for communication, client relationships, mitigation, …
Working with Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender-diverse ClientsRead More
// by Sarah Olson
This handout describes issues that attorneys should lookout for in cases involving fingerprint or latent print evidence.
// by Sarah Olson
The NC State Crime Lab has provided a mock lab report so that attorneys can see the format and contents of a lab report from their lab. Notes about the examination in this case are on pp. 24-26 of 29 in this report. No images are included in this sample, but should be requested in …
// by Sarah Olson
Items to request in discovery. A Word document will be downloaded to your download folder when you click here.