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Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility

2026 Symposium: Whiskey in the Courtroom

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We are pleased to announce the twelfth annual CLE Symposium, "Whiskey in the Courtroom: Evolving Trends in Forensic Science." Whiskey 12 will take place in person on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Duke Law School.

Forensic science experts and attorneys who have litigated cases involving complex scientific evidence will present on a range of topics to help attorneys understand the latest trends in forensic evidence, limitations to this evidence, and legal challenges that can be made. This year the program will have a special focus on Neurodiversity in the Courtroom.

The program is open to NC criminal defense and parent attorneys and their staff, investigators, mitigation specialists, and other defense team members.

The program will carry 6.0 NC CLE hours, including one hour of technology, one hour of ethics and professional responsibility and one hour of professional well-being credits.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Learn more about our sponsors: Indigent Defense Services, Duke Law Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility, and Envista Forensics.

Agenda
Friday, March 6, 2026 8:00-8:45 am	Registration and Posters
8:45-9:00 am	WELCOME! Opening Remarks & Exhibitor Introductions
9:00-10:30 am Mike Kabakoff, JD Assistant Public Defender, Mecklenburg County Public Defender's Office Charlotte, NC Rachel Loftin, PhD Chief Clinical Officer, Clinical Psychologist, Prosper Health Chicago, IL	What is Neurodiversity and How Could it Impact Your Case? (90 min)
10:30-10:45 am	Break
10:45-11:30 am Cindy Martin Autism Resource Specialist, Autism Society of NC Raleigh, NC	Autism in Police Interactions and Interrogations (45 min)
11:30-12:30 pm Ashley Hester, PhD Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program Hillsborough, NC	Communicating with Neurodivergent Clients and Accommodating Disability in the Courtroom (60 min, Ethics Hour)
12:30-1:15 pm	Lunch
1:15-2:00 pm Emilie Picard, PhD Forensic Psychologist, Picard Forensic and Neuropsychology Services Wake Forest, NC	Understanding Patterns in CSAM, Sexual Offenses, and Intrafamilial Violence Cases (45 min)
2:00-3:00 pm Eva Telzer, PhD Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina Chapel, Hill, NC Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Universty of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC	How Social Media and Smartphones Shape Behavior, Impulse Control, and Criminal Risk (60 min, Tech Hour)
3:00-3:15 pm	Break
3:15-4:15 pm Tara Chandrasekhar, MD, BSc Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Duke Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Durham, NC Madhav Swaminathan, MBBS, MD, MCCi Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Professor and Anesthesiology Chair Wake Forest University and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Wake Forest, NC	Neurodiversity in Your Office (60 min, PWB Hour)
4:15 pm	Closing Remarks
	Continuing Education Credit: Approved for 6.0 CLE credits (1 hr Technology, 1 hr Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and 1 hr Professional Well-Being ) for participants and for Capital Defender's Office CLE requirements.

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Questions?

For questions about the event, please email Marlyn Dail.

Payment

Attendees will be charged $25 to cover the cost of refreshments and parking. There is no cost for IDS employees, including assistant public defenders. Once registration has been confirmed, please mail a check made out to "Duke Law School" with a note in the memo line specifying who the payment is for to the following address:

Duke Law School
c/o Marlyn Dail
210 Science Drive, Box 90360
Durham, NC 27708-0360

Directions and Parking

Duke Law School is located at 210 Science Drive, Durham NC 27708.

Event parking will be in the Science Drive parking garage located at the corner of Science Dr. and 751/Cameron Blvd. You must use the entrance off Cameron Blvd with address 3100 Cameron Blvd., Durham, NC 27708. All guests that enter from the JB Duke Hotel side (Thomas Center Dr.) will have to pay $2/hr. so it’s important you enter from Cameron Blvd. to not be charged. We cannot reimburse for a parking fee associated with the incorrect entrance.