William Bradford Speaks At ACDLA Death Penalty Criminal Defense CLE
William K. “Chip” Bradford of Bradford Ladner, LLP. was a featured speaker at a recent criminal defense seminar put on by the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. The ACDLA 2014 Death Penalty Seminar featured a number of speakers talking about current issues facing criminal defense lawyers who handle death penalty cases in Alabama.
Alabama currently has 194 people on death row. Each year numerous defendant are charged with capital murder in Alabama. Because these defendants face the potential of a death sentence, courts take special pains in ensuring that the cases and trials of the defendants are handled correctly. Most defendants facing a capital murder charge cannot afford to retain their own counsel and are either represented by a public defender or by attorneys appointed but he court.
Bradford spoke on Daubert Motions and Hearings. A Daubert hearing refers to a hearing concerning whether expert testimony should or should not be allowed as evidence in a criminal trial. Federal and State case law, statutes and rules of criminal defense dictate whether or not certain testimony of expert witnesses should be allowed. A criminal defense attorney may challenge the validity of the State’s expert witness by filing a Daubert motion which requests a hearing before the trial court to determine admissibility of the expert testimony.
