CYNTHIA ALKON 1515 Commerce St. Fort Worth, TX (817)

Transcription

1 ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE: CYNTHIA ALKON 1515 Commerce St. Fort Worth, TX (817) ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW, Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, TX, August 2013-Present. Teaching: Criminal Law; Negotiation: Theory & Practice; Alternative Dispute Resolution Survey; and Advanced Issues in Criminal Justice. Member, Building Committee, Faculty Senator, Texas A&M Faculty Senate, Member, Academic Affairs Committee, a committee of the Faculty Senate, Member, Admissions Committee, Member of Curriculum Committee Sub-Committee on Certificates, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Fort Worth, TX, July 2010-August Taught: Criminal Law; Negotiation: Theory & Practice; Alternative Dispute Resolution Survey; and Advanced Issues in Criminal Justice. Member, Admissions Committee, , Member, Curriculum Committee, , o Member, Sub-Committee on Professionalism, Member, Externship Committee, , Member, Faculty Development Committee, Member, Centers and Certificate Programs Committee, Member, Clinic and Skills Committee, Coordinated Criminal Law Subject Area Resources for the Legal Education, ADR, and Practical Problem-Solving (LEAPS) Project of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution s Law Schools Committee, I was responsible for identifying and recruiting professors teaching criminal law who were willing to share interactive teaching exercises and approaches with other law professors. The website ( lists the seven professors who agreed to act as consultants (including myself) and gives specific suggestions ( ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LAW, Appalachian School of Law, Grundy, Virginia, August 2006-May Taught Dispute Resolution courses including Alternative Dispute Resolution in Criminal Cases, Dispute Resolution Survey, Advanced Negotiation, and Client Interviewing and Counseling. Member, Admissions Committee, , Supervised students during summer externship program, 2007 and

2 Member, Academic Standards Committee, Member, Planning Committee, Appalachian Knitting Circle: Helped to organize community service project teaching law students to knit to create blankets which were donated to children in the CASA Program (Court Appointed Special Advocates). LEGAL EXPERIENCE: HEAD OF THE RULE OF LAW UNIT, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), Warsaw, Poland, September June Responsible for managing the work of the Rule of Law Unit which conducted projects supporting the development of rule of law in eight countries of the former Soviet Union (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), and in South Eastern Europe. These projects were exclusively concerned with criminal justice reform issues. Supervised technical assistance projects for local institutions including the judiciary, bar associations, advocates (defense lawyers), prosecutors, and ombudsman offices. Provided advice and information to local counterparts in a variety of settings including through formal speeches and talks presented at conferences and seminars on specific criminal law and criminal procedure topics. Prepared written reports, policy briefings, and internal memorandum on rule of law developments in the OSCE region, with an emphasis on criminal justice issues. Conducted training on rule of law for the ODIHR Human Dimension Induction Course (four times per year). Participants evaluations consistently gave the rule of law session the highest ratings. Contributed to curriculum development for courses conducted by the ODIHR. Invited trainer for the European Union Rule of Law Mission Preparation Course: April 2005 and April 2006, Sando, Sweden. Topics: Rule of Law Development, the OSCE, and Human Rights Monitoring. Skills Training for Lawyers: responsible for developing skills training course for criminal defense lawyers in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. LEGAL COUNSELOR, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Presence in Albania (seconded by the U.S. Department of State), Tirana, Albania, May 2000-May Responsible for advising the OSCE Presence on all legal matters. Responsible for managing and supervising the Office of the OSCE Legal Counselor (LCO). Directed the production of legal analysis on issues arising in the course of OSCE Presence activities. Wrote and supervised analysis and comments on draft legislation in a variety of areas including the criminal code, the criminal procedure code, the electoral code, the law on the prosecutor, and laws against trafficking in human beings. Supervised the Human Rights Program which focused on human rights problems in the Albanian criminal justice system and provided direct technical assistance to the Albanian Ombudsman. RULE OF LAW LIAISON, American Bar Association, Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI), Minsk, Republic of Belarus, June 1998-May Responsible for planning and implementing ABA/CEELI rule of law program in Belarus. 2

3 Assisted Belarusian lawyers and legal organizations in rule of law related work. Organized and spoke at numerous programs, seminars and conferences relating to criminal law, criminal procedure, human rights, teaching of law to non-lawyers, domestic violence and organizational development. Provided technical assistance, including curriculum development, for the governmentsponsored Judicial Training Center, which opened in September 1999, in Minsk. Conducted training programs for lawyers working in non-governmental legal advice centers. Trained and advised on the development of a training program for criminal defense lawyers in the Collegium of Advocates, the national organization for defense attorneys in Belarus. USAID Rule of Law Strategy: Responsible for coordination and writing of the United States Agency for International Development Rule of Law Strategy for Belarus in DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER, Law Offices of the Los Angeles County Public Defender, September 1991-June Trial Attorney. Handled felony caseload in downtown Los Angeles and Compton Courts. Completed over fifty jury trials to verdict. Extensive experience handling criminal cases at all stages of the proceedings, including arraignment, preliminary hearing, trial, and post conviction. Extensive experience advocating for clients in a variety of settings, ranging from informal plea negotiations with prosecutors and judges, to closing arguments in jury trials. Experience writing and arguing formal legal motions. Substantial experience in the determination, coordination, organization and preparation of experts and necessary investigation in preparation for trial : Member of the Planning Committee for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Programs for the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office. Assisted in developing curriculum for the CLE programs for the year. Responsible for planning full-day Homicide Defense Seminar. EDUCATION: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA, Columbia, MO, Master of Laws (LL.M) in Dispute Resolution, August Co-presenter during Symposium at the International Association for Conflict Management Conference in June 2002: An Interdisciplinary Examination of Identity-Based Conflicts: Why Are They So Intractable and What Practical Interventions Can Diminish Such Conflicts? This symposium was the culmination of work completed as a Research Assistant and was presented with Professors Jean Sternlight (law), Sylvia Lazos (law), Anne Bettencourt (psychology) of the University of Missouri, Columbia and Professor Leo Smyth (business) of the University of Galway, Ireland. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW, San Francisco, CA, Juris Doctor (J.D.), May Hastings International and Comparative Law Review: Associate Articles Editor,

4 Staff Member, SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, San Francisco, CA, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Magna Cum Laude, International Relations, May PUBLICATIONS: What s Law Got to Do With It? Plea Bargaining Reform after Lafler and Frye, Forthcoming, YEAR BOOK ON ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION (Penn State University School of Law) (2015). Guaranteeing the Right to Defense Discovery in Plea Bargaining Fifty Years after Brady v. Maryland, Forthcoming, 38 NYU REVIEW OF LAW & SOCIAL CHANGE (2014). Introducing Plea Bargaining into Post-Conflict Legal Systems, with Ena Dion, Research Memorandum for the International Network to Promote the Rule of Law (March 2014). The U.S. Supreme Court s Failure to Fix Plea Bargaining: The Impact of Lafler and Frye, 41 HASTINGS CONSTITUTIONAL LAW QUARTERLY 561 (2014). Making a Deal in Criminal Law, 10 OHIO STATE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW 643(2013). The Flawed U.S. Approach to Rule of Law Development, 117 PENNSYLVANIA STATE LAW REVIEW 797 (2013). Plea Bargaining, Just as it Ever Was? 10 MAYHEW-HITE REPORT ON DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND THE COURTS, Vol. 4, Lead Article (On-line journal from the Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law). Available at: (May 2012). Lost in Translation: Can Exporting ADR Harm Rule of Law Development? 2011 JOURNAL OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION165 (symposium issue)(university of Missouri). Plea Bargaining as a Legal Transplant: A Good Idea for Troubled Criminal Justice Systems? 19 TRANSNATIONAL LAW & CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS 355 (2010, University of Iowa). Reconciliation of Criminal Cases in Central Asia: A Sign of Restorative Justice, Reform or Cause for Concern? 8 PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL 41 (2007, Pepperdine University). Women Labor Arbitrators: Women Members of the National Academy of Arbitrators Speak About the Barriers of Entry into the Field, 6 APPALACHIAN JOURNAL OF LAW 195 (2007). 4

5 The Cookie Cutter Syndrome: Legal Reform Assistance Under Post-Communist Democratization Programs, 2002 JOURNAL OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION 327 (University of Missouri). BLOG: Contributor to Indisputably.org, a dispute resolution blog by U.S. law professors. AWARDS: 2008 Faculty Scholarship Award, Appalachian School of Law. BAR MEMBERSHIP: California (inactive), District of Columbia. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/COMMITTEES: American Association of Law Schools, ADR Section Chair-Elect ( ) Executive Committee (2013-Present) American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section Law and Society Association CONSULTANT PROJECTS/ASSESSMENTS: Kosovo Legal Education Reform Index (LERI), Consultant responsible for conducting interviews and writing draft of the LERI. Assessment conducted in June Final report released in February, Available on-line at: tion_reform_index_07_10_eng.authcheckdam.pdf Comments on the Detention Procedure Assessment Tool Assessment Methodology Manual. Part of a group providing comments on this new tool for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative. January 2010 (pro bono). Assessment of Kyrgyz Republic Criminal Procedure Code, part of four person international team working for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative and the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT). Completed August Comments on the Draft Commercial Arbitration Law and Draft Commercial Mediation Law, Afghanistan, International Development Law Organization. Completed February 2008 (pro bono). 5

6 SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND PAPERS Reversing Mass Incarceration: What Reforms are Working (or Could Work) and Why? Upcoming presentation as part of a panel at the South Eastern Association of Law Schools Conference, July 2015, Boca Raton, Florida. Hard Bargaining Tactics and Fundamental Fairness in Plea Bargaining: When do Prosecutors Cross the Line? upcoming, Law and Society Association Conference, May 2015, Seattle, Washington. Teaching Practical Negotiations, upcoming ABA Dispute Resolution Conference, April 2015, Seattle, Washington. What s Law Got to Do With It? Plea Bargaining Reform after Lafler and Frye, February 6, 2015, Symposium presentation for the YEAR BOOK ON ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION (Penn State University School of Law) (2015). Towards Defining Competence in Negotiating Plea Bargains: Beyond Lafler and Frye, November 2014, AALS ADR Section Works-in-Progress Section, Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, California. Plea Bargaining: Enabler of Mass Incarceration? Paper presented during panel on Mass Incarceration: The Criminal Justice That Got Us Here, at the South Eastern Association of Law Schools Conference on August 5, Also acted as a mentor through the New Scholars Program. Making a Deal in Criminal Law, Panel, ABA Annual Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference on April 4, 2014, Miami, Florida. What am I reading 2, Panel, ABA Annual Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference on April 4, 2014, Miami, Florida. Rule of Law: How, Where, When? Presentation at a conference on Advancing the Rule of Law in East Africa, Regent University School of Law, February, Towards Defining Competence in Plea Bargaining Negotiations: Beyond Lafler and Frye. Paper presented at a works-in-progress session during the Criminal Law Symposium at the Southern Methodist University School of Law, January Expand Defense Rights to Discovery in Plea Bargaining: Re-visiting Brady v. Maryland in the Wake of Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye, paper presented during panel on the 50 th Anniversary of Brady v. Maryland, South Eastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, August

7 Does Your Lawyer Make a Difference? Plea Bargaining Drug Cases for Indigent Defendants, presented paper with co-author Jon Marshall, Professor of Political Science at Carthage College at Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, May, Can the Supreme Court Fix Plea Bargaining? AALS Dispute Resolution Works-in- Progress Conference, October Criminal Law Pedagogy Roundtable Presenter, South Eastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, August Also acted as a Mentor through the New Scholars program. Legal Education and the Emotional Lives of Law Students: Preparing our Students for Happy Professional Lives Panel, South Eastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, July Teaching Multi-party Negotiations Panel, Conference on Teaching Law School ADR Courses: Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration, Pepperdine University School of Law, June Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic: Rule of Law Development Assistance to Weak, Warring and Troubled Countries, Law and Society Annual Meeting, June, Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic: Rule of Law Development Assistance to Countries in Conflict, AALS Dispute Resolution Works-in-Progress Conference, October Crawford v. Washington Panel Discussion, South Eastern Association of Law Schools Conference, July Be Careful Who You Fire: A Survey of Rule of Law Assistance Providers in Afghanistan. Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, May Plea Bargaining as a Legal Transplant: A Good Idea for Troubled Criminal Justice Systems? South Eastern Association of Law Schools Conference, July-August Plea Bargaining: An Idea Good Enough to Import into Troubled Criminal Justice Systems? AALS Dispute Resolution Works-in-Progress Conference, October, Plea Bargaining: Are We Importing a Bad Idea to Troubled Criminal Justice Systems? Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, July Reconciliation of Criminal Cases in Central Asia: A Sign of Reform or Cause for Concern? Law and Society Annual Meeting, July Alternatives to Court Proceedings: The Increased Use of Reconciliation in Criminal Cases in Central Asia: A sign of reform or cause for concern? International Society for 7

8 the Reform of Criminal Law conference on Modernization of Criminal Justice Systems, Edinburgh, Scotland, June 26-30,