This year's Annual Meeting will feature dual civil and criminal tracks on Thursday morning and all day Friday. The required subjects of ethics, substance abuse and professionalism, are scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The Thursday evening Welcoming Reception and Awards Banquet will again be held in the Statehouse Rotunda and Atrium.

Thursday December 4

8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

CRIMINAL TRACK

9:00 - 10:30 Constitutional Law Update
This term, important rulings by the United States Supreme Court in criminal cases reveal such a deep divide, that we don't have mere 5/4 splits or plurality opinions for beleaguered trial dogs to figure out what the law is, they've got to sort out concurrences and add the votes from the dissent to identify the controlling holding. But relax trial dogs, this Term's decisions on gun possession, admissibility of statements from witnesses made unavailable by the defendant's conduct, race-based strikes, the right for mentally troubled defendants to represent themselves, when the defendant's right to counsel attaches, and other important decisions are analyzed from a practioners perspective.
Richard M. Wintory
Deputy County Attorney
Pima County, Arizona

10:30 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 12:00 Constitutional Law Update, continues

12:00 - 1:30 Awards Luncheon

CIVIL TRACK

9:00 - 10:30 A Prosecutor's Guide to Asset Forfeitures
Ross Rhodes and Gerard Yost from the Stark County Prosecutor's Office will present an update on the forfeiture laws with the implementation of Revised Code Title 2981 and the changes in the law after July 1, 2007. The presentation will cover such topics as criminal forfeiture, civil forfeiture, remedies, timing and notification issues, as well as evidence considerations and law enforcement training.
Gerard T. Yost, Assistant Prosecutor
Ross Rhodes, Assistant Prosecutor
Stark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office

10:30 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 12:00 A Prosecutor's Guide to Asset Forfeitures, continues

12:00 - 1:30 Awards Luncheon

COMBINED TRACK

1:30 - 2:30 Professionalism
With its aspirational and ethical standards the legal profession assumes a moral force that is larger than the capacity of individuals who compose its membership. The Chief Justice discusses these aspirations and how they are supported by A Lawyer's Creed and A Lawyer's Aspirational Ideals.
Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer
Supreme Court of Ohio

2:30 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 3:45 Legal Ethics
Ethics issues that face the prosecuting attorney's office and an overview of the Code of Professional Responsibility and disciplinary procedures.
Jonathan E. Coughlan
Disciplinary Counsel
Supreme Court of Ohio

3:45 - 4:15 Substance Abuse, Chemical Dependency & Mental Health Concerns in the Legal Profession
Substance Abuse problems among lawyers, and resources available through the bar and elsewhere to help.
Megan Robertson
Clinical Associate
Ohio Lawyer's Assistance Program

6:00 - 7:00 Welcoming Reception - Statehouse Rotunda

7:00 - 9:00 Awards Banquet - Statehouse Atrium

Friday, December 5

8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

CRIMINAL TRACK

9:00 - 11:00 Evidence-based Sentencing Practices
This session will review the purposes in sentencing; discuss the basics about offender behavior change; and discuss the research around risk reduction.
Judge Ron Reinstein, retired
Superior Court of Arizona and
Sarah Schmoll, Deputy Chief Probation Officer
Coconino County Adult Probation Department
Flagstaff, Arizona

11:00 - 11:15 Break

11:15 - 12:00 Ohio Concealed Carry Law - 2008 Update
This CLE will cover the changes made by Am. Sub. SB 184 to Ohio=s Concealed Handgun Carry Law, effective September 8, 2008. Some of the changes that will be discussed include the castle doctrine, Katrina legislation, home rule and other changes in law including penalties.
Jonathan R. Fulkerson, Section Chief
Health and Human Services Section
Ohio Attorney General's Office

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 Collection, Analysis of Digital Evidence
This program will provide an overview of the history of the FBI's computer forensics program and regional computer forensic labs. It will also cover the steps an examiner takes to examine digital evidence, focusing on computers and cell phones. It will also cover some of the issues facing computer examinations.
David W. Barnes, Jr., Lab Director
Miami Valley Regional Computer Forensics Lab
Federal Bureau of Investigation

2:30 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 4:00 Getting the Most from Your BCI&I Laboratory Submission
This presentation will include the following topics: standards, frequently asked questions, and report findings. The standards discussion will cover: requested and non-requested samples, comparability of samples, and the quality and quantity of the samples. Some of the most common questions asked regarding case submissions will be answered and an explanation of report findings will be presented.
D. Steven Greene, Deputy Superintendant of Laboratory Operations
Cindy S. Erwin, Polygraph Examiner
Jessica A. Toms, Forensic Scientist
Robin R. Roggenbeck, Latent Print Examiner/Forensic Scientist
Julie A. Cox, Forensic Scientist
James R. Smith, Forensic Scientist, Firearms and Toolmarks
Ted J. Manasian, Forensic Scientist
G. Michele Yezzo, Forensic Scientist
Rebecca Barrett, Forensic Scientist, Questioned Documents Examiner
All with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation
London, Ohio

CIVIL TRACK

8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 Competitive Bidding Disputes
Recent bidding disputes on the Huntington Ballpark involving "quality contracting" standards have refocused our attention on bidding disputes. Learn how to make lawful defensible bidding decisions and handle bid protests under the "lowest and best" bidding standard.
Donald W. Gregory, Director
Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter
Columbus, Ohio

10:00 - 10:15 Break

10:15 - 11:15 Delay Claims
As time is money, modern public works projects frequently encounter expensive delay claims. Learn how the Fairness in Construction Contracting Act is being interpreted in view of the most recent case on the subject in order to handle such claims efficiently.
Michael J. Madigan, Associate
Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter
Columbus, Ohio

11:15 - 12:00 Family Medical Leave Act
Recognizing a serious health condition is just the beginning to understanding the FMLA. With the rules and regulations changing, it is imperative that employers keep apprized of the latest information regarding FMLA. The Department of Labor is currently in the process of revising these rules and regulations yet again. Issues relating to family members of persons on active military duty as well and how to implement regulations will be discussed at this seminar.
Dolores (Lori) F. Torriero, Associate
Downes, Hurst & Fishel, LLP
Columbus, Ohio

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 1:45 2008 Bond and Levy Overview
This session will cover upcoming deadlines, new bond and levy options and the surge in taxpayer-initiated tax reductions and eliminations. Particularly useful for those advising county auditors or boards of elections.
Rebecca C. Princehorn, Partner
Bricker and Eckler, LLP
Columbus, Ohio

1:45 - 2:00 Break

2:00 - 3:00 Construction Bidder Pre-Qualification Criteria
Ohio's historic competitive bidding law for public construction always required award to the lowest, qualified bidder. Yet many public owners do not include pre-bid criteria to distinguish among qualified bidders. Ohio statute and case law uphold the public's right to create a competitive environment among equally-qualified bidders. This seminar segment will cover the legalities and current use of Franklin County's Quality Contracting Criteria, adopted in 2002, and since ratified by their Franklin County Court of Appeals. Similar criteria were adopted by the Ohio School Facilities Commission and by Clark County.
Luther Liggett, Partner
Bricker & Eckler, LLP
Columbus, Ohio

3:00 - 4:00 Update on Election Issues
As the number of ballot issues increases, circulator errors, fraud and abuse is at an all time high. Prosecutors around the state are getting numerous questions -- from both a civil and a criminal perspective. Ms. Armstrong will discuss this, along with other recent developments in election law, including helping your clients prepare for cost assessments by the Board of Election, things to look for when your office gets a petition, and a brief overview of the local Auditor or fiscal officer's discretion to reject certain petitions and the Board of Election's role.
Maria J. Armstrong, Partner
Bricker & Eckler, LLP
Columbus, Ohio

OPAA HAS REQUESTED APPROVAL OF 10.75 HOURS OF CLE CREDITS. THIS BREAKS DOWN AS FOLLOWS: 8.25 HOURS GENERAL, 1.00 HOUR OF ETHICS, 1.00 HOUR OF PROFESSIONALISM, AND 0.50 HOUR OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

Room rates at the Hyatt on Capitol Square are $125.00 for single, double, or triple. To avoid paying tax, accommodations must be paid for with either an office check or credit card. Personal payment, even though it will be office reimbursed, is not tax exempt by state law. To make reservations, call 800-233-1234. Identify yourself as being with OPAA to obtain our special rate. The cut-off date for our block of rooms is November 10th. Hyatt check-in time is 3:00 p.m., and check-out time is 12:00 noon. Cancellation Policy: any reservation not canceled 24 hours in advance of 3:00 p.m. of the day of scheduled arrival will be charged one night's room and tax as a no-show penalty.

The registration fee is $300.00, which covers all handout materials, continental breakfasts, breaks, and lunches for PAs and APAs on both days, and the Welcoming Reception and Awards Banquet for both registrant and guest. The fee for one day only is $175.00. Due to the expense of producing the training manual, a $45.00 penalty will apply to all cancellations made through November 28th, and a copy of the manual will be sent. To help defray the cost of food guarantees which must be made by that date, cancellations after November 28th, will be assessed a $175.00 penalty if scheduled to attend both days, and a $125.00 penalty if scheduled for one day only.

Please send registrations to OPAA by November 21st (earlier if possible).