NATIONAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE COLLEGE FACULTY

As a former federal defender, Yasmin Cader has tried more than thirty criminal cases to resolution before juries and judges in state and federal courts in Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. At the Offices of the Federal Public Defender in the Southern District of New York and Los Angeles, Yasmin represented witnesses and individuals facing a variety of federal criminal charges, including complex white-collar criminal and regulatory matters. Yasmin also served as the Chief of Training in Los Angeles, a position in which she developed and executed substantive legal and trial skills training programs for attorneys in Los Angeles and across the country. While representing individuals in Washington D.C. with the Public Defender Service, she defended juveniles and adults facing the most serious felony charges in Superior Court.
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Yasmin is also an experienced civil litigator. She began her career as an Honors Program Trial Lawyer with the Employment Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, where she litigated individual and class-action claims of sexual and racial harassment and discrimination. Prior to that, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Damon J. Keith of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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In private practice, Yasmin continues to teach trial skills to practicing lawyers and law students alike. She is a member of the faculty at Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and the National Criminal Defense College. She has served as a guest lecturer at local and national bar associations across the country, as well as at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law, UCLA School of Law and Loyola Law School. She currently serves on the Yale Law School Executive Committee and is also on the board of a national non-profit dedicated to effective messaging for social justice issues.

Jeff Chapdelaine, JD, LICSW is an Attorney, Forensic Social Worker, and Forensic Drama Therapist based in Boston Massachusetts.  He represents clients in both criminal and plaintiff’s civil cases. He consults nationally on plaintiff’s civil cases and on cases where people are accused of committing crime, working with lawyers and on trial strategy, jury selection and trauma informed client focused case preparation.  His consulting company trains both lawyers and mental health professionals on areas where legal systems and mental health systems intersect.

He serves on the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Criminal Curriculum Advisory Committee and as faculty locally for MCLE and Committee for Public Counsel Service, and nationally for the National Criminal Defense College in Macon Georgia, the Trial Lawyers College in Dubois Wyoming, several state systems and at other training programs.

Angie Coggins knew from an early age that she wanted to be a lawyer. In the eighth grade, she took a class called “Youth in Law.” The class was about the criminal justice system. The teacher put together a fictional murder case so the students could hold a mock trial. Angie played the role of the defense attorney, and her fate was sealed. She knew from that moment that she wanted to be a lawyer. Not just any lawyer, but one that fought for the underdog. One that would help those who couldn’t help themselves. One that protected those who were accused, even if they couldn’t afford to pay her. She didn’t know what a public defender was back then, but that’s exactly what she wanted to be. And today, that’s exactly what she is.

Angie has been with the Houston County Public Defender’s Office since her third year in law school. Angie’s entire legal career has been centered on competently, effectively, compassionately, and zealously representing those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. She never gives up – just ask the judges and the D.A.’s in her circuit.

Angie is extremely proud of her 30 years as a public defender and her 30 years as a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. During her time with GACDL she was presented with the Association’s 1997 Indigent Defense Award and in 2017, she was humbled and honored to serve as President for such a remarkable group. Angie has presented at numerous GACDL seminars, served as an adjunct professor at Mercer Law School, is on the faculty at NCDC, and is on faculty for the Bill Daniel Trial Advocacy Program. One of her biggest adventures has involved being on the faculty for the Georgia to Georgia Criminal Defense College which has taken her (6 times and counting) to the wonderful country that is Sakartvelo (aka The Republic of Georgia) to teach the lawyers of that country about story-telling and trial skills.”