KARI CONVERSE 111 Lomas Blvd. NE #501 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 505/346-2489 office 505/346-2494 fax kariconverse@earthlink.net EDUCATION J.D.
University of New Mexico 1985 Coursework emphases included criminal, international, Mexican and immigration law, with internships and clinical work. W illiam Mitchell College of Law, 1980 - Received finalist award, W arren Burger Entrance Scholarship
B.A.
University of Minnesota 1979 Spanish major with emphasis in Latin American Literature.
EXPERIENCE Assistant Federal Public Defender 2007 - present Federal felony criminal defense, including extensive representation of foreign nationals on immigration, drug, and other charges, and international extradition matters. Attorney at Law 1997 - 2007 Private practice emphasizing criminal defense, international consulting, consulting on behalf of Mexican Consulate re criminal matters, work with Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Project, and guardian ad litem representation of children in abuse and neglect cases. Assistant State Public Defender New Mexico Public Defender, Albuquerque, New Mexico 1988 - 1997 Represent felony clients at trial level. C1988-promoted to office training director and in addition to full-time felony caseload, planned and implemented training for Albuquerque office and supervised interns. Additionally, planned and organized statewide training seminars. C1991-promoted again to death penalty division; wrote office training and practice manual. C1994promoted to statewide training coordinator, designed department training proposal and coordinated training conferences. C1995-Resumed full time death penalty caseload. C1996-Resumed full general felony caseload. Associate Rothstein Law Firm Santa Fe, New Mexico 1987-1988 Trial preparation, legal research and drafting in firm specializing in civil rights and criminal defense. Law Clerk, U.S. District Court Albuquerque, New Mexico 1987 Clerked for Edwin Mechem, senior federal judge, whose docket was exclusively civil, mainly civil rights. Researched, drafted opinions, and assisted at trials. (Position was temporary.) Assistant Federal Public Defender Brownsville, Texas 1985-1987 Defended principally narcotics and immigration cases. The small size led to an independent work
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style calling for individual initiative and creativity in handling cases. Court Interpreter Albuquerque, New Mexico 1983-1985; 1992-present Certified federal and NM courts. Supported self through law school with freelance interpreting and translating business. Interpreted in federal and state courts, depositions, and administrative hearings, did conference interpretations, and translated varieties of material. Law Clerk Freedman, Boyd and Daniels - Albuquerque, New Mexico 1984-1985 Researched and wrote for criminal and civil litigation cases as well as for professional presentations; also investigated and interpreted. Deaton and Twohig - Albuquerque, New Mexico 1983-1984 Firm handled large criminal and civil litigation, including white collar crime. Drafted pleadings, assisted at trials, interpreted, and researched.
CONSULTING AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE ABA-ROLI - training seminars on criminal investigation, Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Belize City, Belize - 2013 Consulting with MSI, Mexico, 2012-13 re public defender training on oral trial techniques: six trips to Mexico City and elsewhere, working with public defender agencies to develop plans for internal training units to assist in transition from written to oral trial system, provide training on handling cases with special victims, and consult on standards for the defense. ABA-ROLI - training on trial practice techniques, Mexico City, 2009 Consultant to Mexican Consulate, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on issues relating to criminal defense and procedure, 1999 through 2007. Consultant with Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Project, providing technical assistance to consular officials and to attorneys representing Mexican citizens facing capital prosecution, 2002 - 2007. Agency for International Development/DPK-sponsored project in El Salvador - working with local prosecutors and consultant, drafted plea guidelines for the Ministerio Publico to aid in use of El Salvador’s alternative dispute resolution procedure, the procedimiento abreviado. June 1999. Designed and carried out week long training program for court, prosecution and defense personnel in ADR, January, June, September, 2002. Agency for International Development training program in Guatemala through CREA and DPK to increase use of alternative dispute resolution procedure - procedimiento abreviado - designed and carried out three day training program for court, prosecution and defense personnel in focus centers throughout country. May 1998 - Nov. 1998 Agency for International Development training programs (through CSLA) for Guatemalan judicial sector trainers, attorneys and investigators - trained Guatemalan legal professionals (all in Spanish) in public defense theory and practice, and in trial practice skills. January, May, June, November 1996, in alternative dispute resolution March, June, 1997 •••••••• National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshop presented on representing non-citizens in capital cases. St. Louis, MO, November 2012.
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National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and interpreters in capital cases. Orlando, FL, March 2011. Defending Immigrants Partnership - presentation on sentencing strategies, Albuquerque, NM January 2011 New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association - presentation on Immigration Consequences of Convictions, Albuquerque, NM July, 2010. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and interpreters in capital cases. Austin, TX, March 2010. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and interpreters in capital cases. New Orleans, March 2009. Catholic Charities - near-monthly presentation on United States criminal law for refugees, 2008-2010 New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association - presentation on forensic evidence challenges, February 2009 National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence, mitigation investigations, and interpreters and international law. Atlanta, March 2008. Federal Capital Strategy Seminar - workshops presented on interpreters and representing non-citizens. Baltimore, November 2007. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and representing non-citizens. Dallas, March 2007. CACJ/CDPA Capital Case Defense Seminar - workshop on representing non-citizens and psychological testing, Monterey, CA, February 2007. AOC, Winning Strategies in Criminal Defense, workshops on defense of Illegal Reentry cases, Albuquerue, NM, February 2007. NBI Seminar on Trial Practice - presentation on closing argument, Albuquerque, NM December, 2006. Federal Public Defender, Reentry Brownbag presentation on sentencing in § 1326 cases, Albuquerque, NM October 2006. Defending Immigrants Partnership - Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions seminar, Washington, D.C., July 2006 Habeas Corpus Resource Center, Annual seminar - Cultural Considerations when Working with Non-Citizens - San Francisco, May, 2006 National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and representing non-citizens. Philadelphia, March 2006. MCLAP, training for attorneys representing Mexican nationals facing death penalty prosecution, Santa Monica, California, December, 2005. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and representing non-citizens. New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2005. MCLAP, training for attorneys representing Mexican nationals facing death penalty prosecution, San Francisco,
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December, 2004; Santa Monica, December, 2005. Administrative Office of the Courts, training for CJA attorneys, international law and culture presentations, San Diego, CA August, 2004 New Mexico Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, “¿Con que no eres notario? - Cultural considerations in representing non-citizens,” Las Cruces, August 2004; Albuquerque, November 2004. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and representing non-citizens. New Orleans, March 2005. International Justice Project, presentation on representing non-citizens in criminal cases, Phoenix Arizona, November, 2003. Administrative Office of the Courts, presentation on representing non-citizens in criminal cases for CJA attorneys, Scottsdale, Arizona, September, 2003. National Association for Sentencing Advocates, presentation, “Defending Non-citizens at Sentencing Capital Mitigation and Non-Capital,” Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 2003 National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on DNA evidence and mitigation investigation. Austin, Texas, March 2003. Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice seminar, "Use of Jury Questionnaires and Caselaw in Keeping Automatic Killers Off Juries,” Tucson, AZ September 2002. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on cultural factors and mitigation, and DNA evidence. Kansas City, Kansas, March 2002. Albuquerque Public Defenders judicial conclave training - representing non-citizens in metro court June 2001. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshops presented on cultural factors and mitigation, and DNA evidence. Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 2001. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - workshop presentation, “Cultural Issues in Mitigation and Investigation”; led Discuss Your Case (Culture) workshop; W ashington, D.C., March, 2000 New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, annual meeting seminar - panel presentation on using culture to aid in defense of clients. Albuquerque, New Mexico, July 1999. Public Defender orientation training, “Representing Non-Citizens: culture, interpreters, and immigration consequences of convictions.” June, 1999. National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Life in the Balance seminar - gave plenary session presentation on using culture as mitigation. Atlanta, Georgia, March, 1999 Public Defender Annual Training, "Cultural Defense and Other Aspects of Representing Non-Citizens" Albuquerque, September 1998 New Mexico Ass'n of Criminal Defense Lawyers, "Cultural Defense and Other Aspects of Representing NonCitizens" Albuquerque, October 1997
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National Lawyers Guild workshop, "Practical Tips in Defending Non-Citizens," Tucson, March 1997 Nat'l Legal Aid & Defender Association seminar, "How to Try Drug Cases," - Representing non-citizens in criminal cases (immigration, interpretation and cultural issues). May 1996 Nat'l Inst. for Trial Advocacy Trial Practice Programs - Trial practice skills training. May 1995 & 1996 New Mexico Public Defender Annual Training Conference - Immigration & interpreters. Sept. 1994 New Mexico Public Defender new attorney training - Immigration consequences, trial practice, crossexamination. July 1994 New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association - Panel discussion on state constitutional law. January 1994 Arizona Public Defenders - Defending non-citizens in criminal cases. July 1993 N.O.R.M.L. - Defense of non-citizens in drug and other cases. December 1993 New Mexico Bar Association - Panel discussion on hot tips in criminal defense. August 1993 New Mexico Public Defender Annual Training Conference - Competence to stand trial and Immigration consequences. September 1991 National Immigration Project Seminar - Update of criminal immigration law. January 1991 National Immigration Project Skills Seminar - Trial skills for 212(c) trials. Spring 1990 National Lawyers Guild Annual Meeting - Post conviction remedies for non-citizens. 1990 National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Immigration consequences of convictions update. February 1989
PUBLICATIONS “Cultural Issues in Defense: How Culture Can Affect Culpability, Sentence and Client Communications� Vol. 3 NLADA Indigent Defense 7 (No. 4, Nov./Dec. 1999) "Criminal Law Reforms: Defending Immigrants in Peril" Vol. XXI, The Champion #7 p. 10 (August 1997) "Representing Non-Citizens in Drug Cases" materials presented to N.O.R.M.L. reprinted in and talk reported in 8 BNA Criminal Practice Manual No. 1, p. 9 (1994) "Extradition and Detainers" (Chapter 2); "Defending Non-Citizens" (Chapter 19) New Mexico Criminal Practice Manual (1992) "Aliens and the Constitution," Vol. XVI, The Champion #2 (March 1992) "Considerations in Defending Aliens" (chapter author) Matthew Bender, Criminal Defense Techniques (1991) "On Beyond Leon: Exceptions to the Exception to the Rule" Vol. XVI, Search & Seizure Law Reports #11 (1989) (co-author with Jeff Buckels)
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"Keeping Dorothy in Kansas after Ozkok: New Strategies for Criminal Defense of Non-Citizens: Vol. XI The Champion #2 (March 1989) "Immigration Implications for the Alien Defendant" Vol X, The Champion ##4-5 (May & June 1986) (coauthor with Nancy Hollander) "Survey of Criminal Law" 15 N.M.L. Rev. 231 (1985) (co-author with Nancy Hollander) (Unpublished materials also prepared for all substantive presentations)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND AFFILIATIONS Federal Public Defender Substantive Training 1985, 2007-present (yearly) National Criminal Defense College 1986 Advanced NCDC 1990 The Deadliest Accusation: Child Sex Abuse (NACDL) 1993 Life in the Balance 1996 - present (yearly) Monterey CACJ Capital Training 2007 Federal CJA attorney training 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 (Immig. cases), 2004 (Immig. cases) 2005 (complex lit), 2007 GRACE mitigation investigation training, Ctr for American & Int'l Law, 2007 Making the Case for Life 1998 Allegations of Child Abuse (NCADRC) 1999, 2008 (countless other shorter programs) Memberships National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Champion Advisory Board); New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, National Immigration Project, New Mexico Translators and Interpreters Ass’n
Foreign languages and residences Spanish - fluent (Certified Interpreter for United States District Courts and New Mexico Courts) Portuguese - good French - fair Mexico training on behalf of ABA on trial techniques, 2009 (one trip); consulting with public defender agencies 2012-13 (6 trips) El Salvador - Consultant to A.I.D. on alternative dispute resolution, 1999, 2002. Guatemala - Consultant to A.I.D. on alternative dispute resolution, 1998. Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Consultant to A.I.D. on pilot public defender program 1990 Guadalajara, Mexico - Intern at university legal clinic; researched and wrote papers on Mexican criminal and immigration law 1984 Manzanillo, Mexico - English teacher 1982-1983 Arica, Chile - high school exchange student 1974 La Paz, Bolivia - high school exchange student 1973
INTERESTS Serious amateur photographer, family, animals, travel