This program is eligible for 3 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 3.6 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
Back by Popular Demand: Top-Rated Sessions from the Criminal Law Symposium
Did you miss these standout sessions at the Criminal Law Symposium? Due to overwhelming interest and outstanding feedback, we’re bringing them back for an encore CLE presentation. Criminal Law Update offers a second chance to catch these timely and practical trainings designed to elevate your criminal law practice.
Whether you couldn’t attend the Symposium or just want to take a deeper dive, this is your opportunity to explore the topics that had everyone talking:
- Investigative Interviewing with Witnesses and Suspects- Jonathan P. Vallano, PhD
This session will review best practice, empirically-based tactics/techniques regarding law enforcement interviews/interrogations with witnesses and suspects of crime. In doing so, this session will provide specific examples of techniques and how they may be (or are) used in legal settings, how they contribute to evidence accuracy and justice, and further discuss their broader application regarding how these interviewing and interrogation techniques apply to non-criminal investigatory settings.
- Substitute Offenses and Other Strategies in Plea Negotiations - Joshua B. Goldberg, Esq.
Creative substitute offenses and deals that check all the boxes: from no collateral consequences to offenses that qualify for limited access and review. Plus other plea negotiation tactics.
- AI & Criminal Defense: Navigating Constitutional, Legal, and Ethical Challenges, While Enhancing Trial Advocacy - Ben-Zion Datika, Esq.
As advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshape industries worldwide, the legal profession is uniquely positioned at the threshold of transformation. This CLE presentation will provide in-depth insights into how AI is reshaping criminal defense practice, focusing on its intersection with constitutional law, trial advocacy, evidentiary challenges, and ethical considerations. The session is designed to equip attorneys with practical knowledge and tools to effectively integrate AI considerations into their advocacy, while addressing the legal and ethical implications specific to Pennsylvania’s legal landscape.
Missed it at the Symposium? Don’t miss it again.
Register now for the Criminal Law Update 2025 and catch what you couldn’t the first time.
Faculty
Prof. Jonathan P. Vallano, PhD
Jonathan P. Vallano holds a doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in Legal Psychology from Florida International University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where he teaches and conducts research, along with teaching a Psychology and Law course within the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. His scholarly and applied interests encompass the broad areas of eyewitness memory and identification, police interviewing tactics, and juror decision-making. He has published articles on these topics in peer-reviewed journals, along with consulting on legal cases, including serving as an expert witness on eyewitness memory/identification.
Joshua B. Goldberg, Esq.
Mr. Goldberg manages his own firm, Goldberg Legal Services LLC, in Pittsburgh, where he focuses on criminal defense, traffic and DUI litigation. He is a member of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association (PACDL) and the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney’s Association (MCDAA). He earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is a graduate of the NPAS Datamaster Alcohol Breath Testing Course and the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Course. Mr. Goldberg is the author and publisher of the PA Driver Sanctions chart, which he has been publishing annually since 2010. The chart is used by judges and attorneys throughout Pennsylvania. Mr. Goldberg is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington DC.
Ben-Zion Datika, Esq.
Ben Datika, Esquire is a skilled Trial Attorney specializing in criminal defense cases. Mr. Datika has a genuine passion for protecting the Constitutional rights of his clients in both the State and Federal Courts – while ensuring they have the best personalized representation in Court and the strongest performance during trial. He has extensive experience in the Trial Courts as well as the Appellate Courts all throughout Pennsylvania – specifically handling courtroom and trial representation, while making the best of his clients’ individual circumstances.
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