Presented by the ISBA Traffic Laws & Courts Section
Live Webcast
Friday, April 25, 2025
8:55 a.m. – 1:20 p.m.
4.0 hours MCLE credit, including 0.75 hour approved Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, Legal Ethics, or Sexual Harassment Prevention credit
Join us for this half-day seminar that’s designed to update you on the increasingly complex interactions between criminal charges and traffic settings that can have a significant impact on your clients’ livelihoods, important privileges, and rights. Criminal law attorneys, traffic lawyers, bench and bar counsel, and general practitioners with all levels of practice experience who attend this online program will learn:
- Whether or not the odor of cannabis gives officers the right to search a vehicle during a traffic stop;
- What happens when individuals refuse to cooperate with police and in what instances this can be considered an obstruction of justice;
- How to question jurors and potential witnesses to determine if they are suitable for trial; and
- The challenges of THC testing in DUI cases.
J. Brick Van Der Snick, Van Der Snick Law Firm Ltd., St. Charles
Program Chat Moderator:
Adam M. Miller, Van Der Snick Law Firm Ltd., St. Charles
8:55 – 9:00 a.m. Introduction and Opening Remarks
Adam M. Miller, Van Der Snick Law Firm Ltd., St. Charles
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Odor of Cannabis in Vehicles and the Basis to Search
This segment discusses whether the odor of cannabis alone provides police with probable cause to search a vehicle, as well as how to handle those instances when officers claim they see “shake” that they don’t document and claim that they smelled both burnt and raw cannabis at the same time to cover their legal basis for a search.
Jeffrey R. Hall, Hall Rustom LLC, Peoria
Matthew Paulson, Paulson & Vandersnick Law, Rock Island
9:45 – 10:30 a.m. Obstruction by Refusal
Get the information you need to advise your client on instances when they have refused to cooperate with police and have been charged with an obstruction of justice.
Anthony B. Cameron, Attorney at Law, Quincy
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Voir Dire*
Learn how to question potential jurors and witnesses during the voir dire process to ensure that your client receives a fair and impartial trial.
Michael G. Clarke, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Chicago
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. An Autopsy of an Illinois Crime Lab: THC Testing
Gain a better understanding of the challenges that THC testing can present in DUI cases with this informative presentation.
Donald J. Ramsell, Ramsell and Associates, LLC, Wheaton
1:00 – 1:15 p.m. Questions and Closing Remarks
Original source can be found here.