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The Training Programme
One of the most important principles behind Amicus is that if British lawyers are to provide proper assistance to US attorneys, they must be capable of giving genuine assistance from day one. The attorneys on the ground are under immense pressure and there is little opportunity for training UK lawyers once they are in the US.

To that end we have developed a training programme - compulsory for those wishing to participate in any of Amicus' programmes - to provide an understanding of the American legal process and the issues involved in capital defence work. Prospective interns are also required to undertake practical training in legal research, professional conduct and other legal topics, as well as private study.

Whilst the majority of those attending the Training Programme are likely to be qualified or qualifying in law, non-lawyers are also encouraged to attend. The Programme provides an overview of the death penalty and key issues to be considered and will act as a useful starting point for non lawyers wishing to get into this field.

The programme makes use of academics in the UK with expertise in the American legal system, visiting US academics, and US lawyers either in person or via a video-link to their offices. British lawyers returning from internships or working on cases are able to share valuable information with their colleagues.

There is an introductory programme which takes place twice a year, in March and September, which is compulsory for all those wishing to become involved in actual cases, unless they can show a prior knowledge of the US justice system. For this introductory programme, trainees are given an introduction to the trial and appeal process, key areas of the law in relation to capital appeals and the ways in which a US trial differs from a UK trial. There is further training in legal research, investigatory techniques and the rules of Professional Conduct.

Whilst we do not seek to produce fully qualified US attorneys, we hope to equip interns and case assistants with the wherewithal to be of effective assistance from day one.

The continuing education programme consists of ad hoc lectures, making use of visiting US lawyers as and when the opportunity arises. We are always looking for those who may be able to assist in this regard. Lecture programmes are often presented in association with other organisations, and have frequently covered the Caribbean and other death penalty jurisdictions.

Amicus speakers have included the following:

• Professor Hugo Bedau, Tufts University, Massachusetts, author, The Death Penalty in America
• Ron Tabak, Chair, ABA IRR section death penalty committee
• George Kendall, Director, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, New York
• Larry Hammond, Osborne Maledon, Arizona
• Nick Trenticosta, Loyola Crisis Assistance Center
• Jim Marcus, Texas Defender Service
• Steve Bright, Director, Southern Center for Human Rights
• Judge Gerald Kogan, ex Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
• Sir Nicholas Bratza, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights
• Billy Edwards, Office of the Capital Collateral Counsel, Florida
• Julian Killingley, University of Central England, Birmingham
• Michael Mansfield QC, Took's Court Chambers
• Edward Fitzgerald QC, Doughty Street Chambers
• Nathalia Shiffrin, Interights, London
• Nicholas Blake QC, Matrix Chambers
• Saul Lehrfreund, Simons, Muirhead & Burton
• Renate Wohlwend, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Current Training
US Death Penalty Training
Training Programme | Spring 2008| London
Amicus and Reprieve are charities that assist those representing impoverished people facing execution in the United States. They offer legal and humanitarian assistance by placing individuals in capital defence offices throughout the United States. Volunteers who are unable to undertake internships in the US can assist with the work in the UK.

The charities have joined together to present a training programme (run each year in the Spring and Autumn) that provides practical as well as theoretical skills to assist defence counsel with the representation of those facing execution in the US. The training is run with leading practitioners and academics from the UK and US. The programme will give practical tools to those considering internships and to those interested in assisting with the work in the UK. It will help individuals develop the specific skills required for this kind of work, as well as orienting them to the various issues they will be confronting.

This comprehensive programme is divided into evening and weekend sessions, as detailed below:

These training courses are becoming increasingly popular and over subscribed. To apply for a place on the course, please complete the booking form by clicking here (MS Word, 259Kb). Those applicants who have arranged a placement in the USA will be given priority, and further places will be allocated according to application date.

The course is registered for 23 CPD hours with the Bar Council and the Law Society.

All of the training sessions will take place at Freshfields, 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HS. Please visit www.freshfields.com/places/maps/London.htm for a map to the venue. Entry will be via the back door on the corner of Bouverie Street and Tudor Street.

www.amicus-alj.org and www.reprieve.org.uk

Resources
With the assistance of the Middle Temple library, which has the largest collection of US law in London, Amicus has ensured that all the key criminal and constitutional texts are available in London. Middle Temple recently launched an expanded Capital Punishment Collection to include key texts and materials for jurisdictions around the world, including the USA.

Both the American Collection and the Capital Punishment Collection at the Middle Temple Library are housed on the third floor. Access is available for all Barristers, and entry arrangements for non-barristers can be arranged by Amicus. Please contact us on admin@amicus-alj.org for further details. The library has CD-Roms which can be updated by connecting with Westlaw if you have an account. The CD-Roms are located on the first floor opposite the enquiry desk.

Materials held by the Library include statutes, law reports, journals, articles, textbooks, encyclopedias, manuals and briefs. Please contact the Library with queries about individual requirements.

The charity is designed to assist in the provision of legal representation for those awaiting capital trial and punishment in the US.

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