This course was prepared in conjunction with the National Association for Public Defense. By viewing this CLE by I am affirming that today I am neither a prosecutor nor viewing this course with the purpose of aiding the prosecution of any criminally accused. I further affirm that I am dedicated to the ideals of the criminal defense practitioner, and am committed to the causes of effective and zealous defense of those charged with crimes, the protection and assertion of constitutional rights afforded the criminally accused, and the recognition and preservation of human dignity of those charged with crimes. I further affirm that the information provided by this course will not be used by me in any manner which would impugn the above set of ideals.

A typical jury cannot possibly understand the experience of soldiers, particularly combat soldiers. Veterans are shaped by the events they witnessed and those events typically cause or somewhat impact the implications related to criminal offenses.

This CLE course will explain how to obtain military records in order to understand the offender and their particular history and how it might impact a case. The course will delve into understanding military records and their particular context within the culture of the military and how to frame veteran mitigation in a way that recognizes and accounts for their experiences.