SADO offers 'Defender's Guide to DNA Fundamentals' online

The State Appellate Defender Office will conduct a 3-part virtual seminar series titled "Defender's Guide to DNA Fundamentals" on Thursdays, September 16-30, via Zoom.

This virtual seminar is open to all defense attorneys and team members and registration is required. Participants are asked to commit to all three sessions as each session is necessary to understand the next.

Session I will take place September 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. This session will cover the fundamentals of forensic DNA analysis. It will discuss how genetic material differs from person-to-person to allow forensic analysis to occur.
Speakers will then discuss the phases of the most common DNA analysis technique, from retrieval of a sample through the final calculation of a DNA statistic.

Session II will take place September 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. This session will cover issues in the analysis issues in analysis involved in capillary electrophoresis. It will discuss how the process of producing a DNA sample for analysis can produce measurable material that looks like, but is not real DNA. The speakers will discuss how analysts interpret samples that contain a low amount of DNA, and samples that involve multiple individual's DNA. They will also discuss how laboratories and analysts implement, sometimes incorrectly, protocols for mitigating these issues.

Session III will take place September 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. This session will cover topics in DNA analysis that have emerged as the result of improved sensitivity and new technologies that magnify the analytical power of DNA analysis.
This session will touch on litigation strategies for dealing with emerging techniques and reinforce fundamentals that will enable lawyers to effectively question the implementation of novel techniques in the field of DNA analysis.

To register for the the virtual seminar series, visit www.sado.org. Zoom information will be emailed to registrants prior to the start of the seminar.