Advanced Appellate Advocacy Seminar
The Eighth District Court of Appeals, in partnership with the Cleveland State University College of Law, is offering an all-day CLE, featuring Eighth District Court of Appeals judges and staff attorneys, along with esteemed practitioners and legal scholars. The seminar is available both in-person and remotely via zoom and will focus on advanced topics in civil and criminal appeals.
Event Program
Registration (8:30 – 8:55 a.m.)
Opening Remarks and Introduction: Judges Mary J. Boyle and Lisa Forbes, Eighth District Court of Appeals, Co-Chairs of the Education Committee
I. The Court Today: Updates and Insights (9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Erin M. O’Toole, Court Administrator, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speakers:
- Jacob Dicus, Deputy Court Administrator, Eighth District Court of Appeals
- Toni Farkas, Staff Attorney, Eighth District Court of Appeals
II. Criminal Prosecution in the Age of Digital Evidence (9:30-10:15 a.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Judge Deena Calabrese, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speaker:
- Clinical Professor James Ewing, CSU Law
BREAK: 10:15-10:30 a.m.
III. Ethics and AI: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know (10:30 - 12:00 p.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Judge Lisa Forbes, Eighth District Court of Appeals, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speakers:
- Michael Meuti, Partner at Benesch Law
- D. Allan Asbury, Senior Counsel, Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
- Nick Froning (Partner, Koblentz, Penvose & Froning,LLC)
BREAK: 12:00-12:15 p.m.
IV. Keynote presentation: Murder in the Court: A Tale of Sex, Lies, Race, Corruption, Confrontation and Politics (12:15-1:30 p.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Administrative Judge Michelle J. Sheehan, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speakers:
- Judge Sean C. Gallagher, Eighth District Court of Appeals
- Judge Patrick Carroll, Lakewood Municipal Court (retired)
V. In the Trenches: The Criminal Appellate Practitioners’ Perspective (1:30-2:45 p.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Judge Deena Calabrese, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speakers:
- Tasha Forchione, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office
- Daniel Van, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office
- Erika Cunliffe, Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office
- Robert McCaleb, Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office
- Jay Schlachet, Schlachet and Levy Eric Levy, Schlachet and Levy
BREAK: 2:45-3:00 p.m.
VI. It’s Not Too Late to Compromise: Appellate Mediation Panel (3:00-3:45 p.m.)
Featured Moderator:
Judge Mary J. Boyle, Eighth District Court of Appeals
Featured Speakers:
- Newton Cargill, Mediator
- Erik L. Walter, Dworken & Bernstein Co. L.P.A.
- Edward Herman, Herman Law
- James R. Russell - Chief Assistant Director of Law for the City of Cleveland
- Suzana Pastor, Keith D. Weiner & Assoc. Co., L.P.A.