Building a community of support
Thank you to everyone who helped to make Eat, Drink, and Do Justice such a success! Your support is helping us to grow and sustain our casework and consultation, as well as to launch two new initiatives for the coming year (read more on these below).
The evening highlighted the impact of mitigation work and its potential to create even greater change in the criminal justice system. During his remarks, Board President Jim Marcus shared a lesson from his more than 20 years of representing death-sentenced clients: "The best lawyers in the world can't save a life without the mitigation work-up."
We are truly grateful for the community of support you are helping us to build. Together, we can continue to provide these critical services in cases where they are needed most.
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Attendees at the first-ever Eat, Drink, and Do Justice, held September 21, 2016.
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Two new initiatives for 2017
providing critical tools for life history investigators
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Mentor-in-Residence
ARC, Inc. is proud to announce the launch of its Mentor-in-Residence program with our first mentor, Scharlette Holdman. Scharlette is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of mitigation, and we are honored that she will be working alongside our team. Her mentorship will take place in January 2017, providing our staff with intensive training and opportunities for professional growth.
One aspect of the mentorship will be to provide support not just to our own team, but also to the wider defense community - please watch our upcoming newsletters for details on community events to be scheduled during Scharlette's time with our office.
Future mentors will provide their expertise in disciplines that are critical to the comprehensive practice of mitigation, such as trauma, intellectual disability, and other issues. The experience our staff will gain by working side-by-side with these mentors will help them develop a deeper understanding of these areas, impacting their careers - and the lives of their clients - for years to come.
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Baltimore Mitigation Training Series
There is an unprecedented need for mitigation specialists to assist defense teams around the nation, and that need only continues to grow. The Baltimore Mitigation Training Series is a critical part of ARC, Inc.'s efforts to meet this need and prepare a new generation of defense attorneys and mitigation specialists.
The first workshop of the series will be held at the University of Baltimore on February 10 - 11, 2017. This will be a two-day primer led by nationally recognized faculty for those handling capital and juvenile cases.
The workshop will cover topics such as client and witness interviews, record searches, key case documents, and more. We will have the capacity to provide training to up to 300 defenders, including law firms representing capital and juvenile clients pro bono, members of defender organizations, and court-appointed practitioners.
With your support, this training will be free to attend. Sponsorships are available; please contact Erin Fiaschetti to learn how you or your company can get involved. |
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Supreme Court Update: Buck v. Davis
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Christina Swarns (center) with John Fox and Liz Vartkessian, shortly after arguments concluded
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Yesterday, we had the privilege of watching ARC, Inc. Board member Christina Swarns argue before U.S. Supreme Court in Buck v. Davis. (Read more about the case and Christina's own journey.) Christina and the rest of Mr. Buck’s legal team fought so hard to ensure that Mr. Buck will not be executed because of racist testimony and to protect the integrity of the entire justice system. We could not be prouder that she is part of our efforts here at ARC, Inc. Congratulations to Christina and her entire team!
- Liz and John
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