We are approximately 6 weeks away from the Public Defender Las Vegas Retreat.  We look to have a great turnout.  We already have registrations from nearly 30 states and several countries.  Here is some final Retreat information.  

For anyone who needs to reach me, my cell number is:  559-303-4377.


Hotel rooms:

We have a reserved block of rooms at the Tuscany Suites & Casino.  The special Retreat rates were good until March 21, 2010, (after that, they are subject to availability).  Make sure to reserve your room for any days that you wish to stay earlier or later than the scheduled April 23rd through 25th Retreat days.  A small percentage of each Retreat room rented will go back to the Retreat to help cover our costs.  If you call 877-887-2261 for your reservations, please identify yourself as an attendee of the Public Defender Retreat or Group Code: 1249SA.  Note: rates do not include 9% tax.

Rates are King Suite or Double Suite:  $95 (Fri & Sat) and $65 (Sun thru Thur).


Thursday night informal get together:

For anyone getting to Las Vegas a little early, we will have our yearly Thursday get together in the Rhumbar by the south entrance at the Mirage Hotel.  It will be very informal, from around 8pm to 10pm.  Stop by and say hi. 


Events & Retreat activities:

There are still tickets available in our group block of Improv Comedy show tickets for Friday night.  (See below for details.)  We have placed our order for the show tickets, but if anyone wants to attend or needs extra tickets, let me know as soon as possible, and we can maybe get more.  We have some spots remaining for the Saturday Retreat poker tournament, if anyone wants to play.  (See below for tournament details.)  Also, the VooDoo nightclub outing on Saturday night still has room for a few more people, let me know.


Retreat Sign-In and Pick Up Materials in the Florentine Room at Tuscany Suites, Friday April 23, 2010 - 1pm to 4pm

We will have the Retreat Sign-In from 1pm to 4pm in the Florentine Room at Tuscany.  This is the same room where the MCLE/CLE program will be held on Saturday and Sunday.  You can pick up the Retreat handout materials, your name badge, nifty certificate of attendance, Improv tickets (if applicable), and details on the Retreat.  This Sign-In will also be available throughout the weekend, before each day's program.


Retreat Friday Welcome Party in the Florentine Room at Tuscany Suites, Friday April 23, 2010 - 4pm to 7pm

We will this year have our Friday Welcome Party from 4pm to 7pm in the Florentine Room at Tuscany.  Admission will be free for Retreat attendees, their guests (one member of your party will need to show a Retreat name badge to enter), and Retreat sponsors.  Food and hors d'oeuvres will be provided as well as some drinks, and a cash bar will also be available.


Friday Night - Improv Comedy - Harrah's Hotel - 4/23/10 - 10:30pm to ??

We have now made a tradition of attending a Comedy show on the Friday night of the Retreat, after our Welcome Party.  Based on its reputation as one of the best comedy shows in Vegas, a large group of attendees are again planning on doing the The Improv comedy show (take escalator, next to Main Cage, to the 2nd floor) at Harrah's Las Vegas, located across The Strip from the Mirage.  The show usually sells out on Friday nights.  Discount Improv tickets can be purchased with your Retreat Registration for $28 per person (includes tax and fees - regular ticket price is $29 plus taxes and fees making the regular total cost over $35).  The show starts at 10:30pm but it's a good idea to be there by 10pm to get your seats.  If you have already ordered your ticket(s) with your Retreat Registration, you can pick them up with your Retreat materials at the Retreat Sign-In on Friday afternoon, or at the Welcome Party Friday evening.


Retreat MCLE/CLE* Speakers in the Florentine Room in Tuscany Suites
 
MCLE PROGRAM - SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS

Saturday April 24, 2010

8:30am to 9:00am - Welcome, Announcements, Coffee, donuts, and GPS drawing for early registrants
                Dave Rendahl, Deputy Public Defender / Retreat Organizer, Visalia, California

8:45am to 9:00am - University of Illinois Law Students
                presentation on their  Prisoners' Rights Research Project
                Law Students: Sara Garber, Amy Payne, and Rick Nowak)

9:00am to 10:00am - Ronald Moore - Attorney / Forensic Scientist      
                Laguna Beach, California  (1 hr MCLE)
               "Defending the DUI Case, Cross Examination of the Prosecution’s Expert"    

10:00am to 11:00am - Peter Keane - Professor, Golden Gate University School of Law 
                San Francisco, California  (1 hr MCLE)
               "Criminal Law Impact of Recent US Supreme Court Decisions, The Year in Review"

11:00am to 11:10am - Break

11:10am to 12:10pm - Peter Keane - Professor, Golden Gate University School of Law 
                San Francisco, California  (1 hr Ethics MCLE)
               "Ethical Concerns and Pitfalls for the Criminal Defense Attorney"

12:10pm to 1:30pm - Lunch  (on your own)
                Tuscany offers 3 restaurants open for lunch: The Cantina Mexican Restaurant,
                Marilyn's Cafe with a regular coffee shop menu and a 24-hour breakfast menu,
                and Beachfront Coffee with fruit smoothies, specialty coffee, and deli style sandwiches.

1:30pm to 3:30pm - Colette Tvedt - Attorney, Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender  
                Seattle, Washington  (2 hrs MCLE)
               "Defending Child Sexual Assault Cases . . .
                Cross Examination of Child Sexual Assault Victims"

3:30pm to 3:35pm - Dave Rendahl
                Deputy Public Defender & Retreat Organizer; Visalia, California
                Day 1 closing remarks and announcements.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

8:30am to 9:00am - Welcome, Announcements, Coffee, donuts - Dave Rendahl

9:00am to 11:00am - Steven C. Gabaeff, M.D., F.A.A.E.M. - Emergency / Forensic Doctor                                      Carmichael, California  (2 hrs MCLE)
              "Shaken Baby and Other Injuries in Children,
               a  Medical Perspective Towards Assessing and Defending These Cases"

11:00am to 11:10am - Break

11:10am to 12:10pm - Saul Huerta, Deirdre Mokos - Attorneys, Federal Public Defender Office
                Tucson, Arizona  (1 hr MCLE)
               "Immigration Consequences  of Criminal Convictions:
                What Attorneys Can Do to Avoid Them"

12:10pm to 1:30pm - Lunch  (on your own)
                Tuscany offers 3 restaurants open for lunch: The Cantina Mexican Restaurant,
                Marilyn's Cafe with a regular coffee shop menu and a 24-hour breakfast menu,
                and Beachfront Coffee with fruit smoothies, specialty coffee, and deli style sandwiches.

1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nicholas G. Himonidis, J.D., CCFS, CFE
                Founder / President, The NGH Group, Investigations
                Roslyn Heights, New York  (2 hrs MCLE)
               "Computer Evidence, What it is? ... Where to Find it? ... How to Use it?"  
               
3:30pm to 3:40pm - Closing Remarks, Announcements, Future
            Dave Rendahl, Deputy Public Defender / Retreat Organizer, Visalia, California


[Note:  change in Poker Tournament Location, NOT at Bally’s]

Saturday Evening - Poker Tournament - Tuscany Hotel - 4/24/10 - 5pm to 8pm?
2010 World Defender Poker Championship in the
Poker Room at the Tuscany Hotel

On Saturday this year, at 5pm, after the MCLE* program, we will be holding the 2010 Public Defender Retreat Poker Championship.  The Tournament will be in the Tuscany’s Poker Room located in the northwest corner of the casino.  More details will be provided at the Retreat. 
 
Dan Beck, a private criminal defense attorney from Massachusetts won the 2009 title (his second, and the only multiple winner).  Richard Poliquin from Arizona - 2008.  Dan Beck - 2007.  Public Defender David Daniel from Pennsylvania - 2006.  Sara Cooper, a Public Defender from Arizona - 2005.
 
The entry fee will be $65 per person, (pay in advance with your Retreat Registration).  Prize pool will be paid to the top 7 places, along with trophies, merchandise, and bragging rights.  It is patterned after the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events.  Register soon, the number of entries is limited by the size of the poker area.
 
When you pay for your entry into the Poker Tournament, you are buying a seat.  That seat is yours, and if you arrive late, or don't show up for the Tourney, your Tournament chips and hands will be blind folded until you arrive, or run out of chips.  If you need to cancel after you have purchased your entry, I will assist you in selling your seat to another attendee.


Saturday Night - VooDoo Lounge - Rio Hotel - 4/24/10 - 10pm to ??
Music & Dancing with a View! in VooDoo Lounge
at the Top of the Rio Hotel

Again this year, we will start partying about 10pm in the VooDoo Lounge on the 51st floor at the Rio Hotel which is just west of The Strip and I-15 on Flamingo Rd.  Meet by the VooDoo entrance on the 2nd floor of Masquerade Village so we can take you in as a group, or tell the host that you are with the Public Defender Retreat.  The VooDoo Lounge has an indoor / outdoor view of the whole "Las Vegas Strip" and surrounding Las Vegas lights.  The patio is 2 stories high with an outdoor staircase close to the edge of the building.  Cost will be $85 for men, and $75 for women.  This  includes the VooDoo Lounge cover charge too (which would be $30 for men and $20 for women).  We will have reserved section seating, and some free drinks will be included in these entry prices too.  You will also get a view of Vegas to die for!  The dress code is strictly enforced and ID is required.  Men should wear shirts with collars and no beachwear or sportswear.  Neatly pressed and fashionable jeans are acceptable, but you should leave the tennis shoes, flip-flops, and T-shirts in your room.  You can buy VooDoo Lounge VIP reserved section entry with your Retreat Registration.


If you have any questions, give me a call or e-mail, and I will see you in Las Vegas.

Thanks!!

Sincerely,

Dave Rendahl, Deputy Public Defender
Tulare County Public Defender's Office
Courthouse, Room G-35
County Civic Center
Visalia, CA 93291
Phone: 559-636-4500, FAX: 559-733-6113
drendahl@co.tulare.ca.us or
Dave@PublicDefenderRetreat.com
Attend the 10th Annual Public Defender Las Vegas Retreat, April 23-25, 2010
see Web site:
http://www.PublicDefenderRetreat.com