Illinois has finally adopted formal rules of evidence. Despite the declared intentions of the drafters, these rules do not fully harmonize with Illinois’ common law of evidence and the ad hoc modifications of those rules enacted by the legislature over the years. In Part 4 of his 7-part series entitled "Old Wine in a New Bottle: Illinois Law of Evidence and New Rules of Evidence for Criminal Defense," attorney Stephen L. Richards discusses the rules and case law governing the admission and exclusion of hearsay, focusing on exceptions for excited utterances, statements of mental or physical condition, medical care statements, recorded recollection, business records and other key documents.
Learning Objectives:
I. Discuss the rules and case law governing the admission and exclusion of hearsay, focusing on topics such as:
II. Grasp the "Attacking the Credibility of the Declarant" rule
Areas of Practice
• Murder -- Homicide -- Death Penalty Cases
• Serious Felonies
• Drug / Weapons Cases
• Appeals -- Post-Convictions
• Sentencing -- Mitigation
• Civil Rights/1983
• Legal Education
• Legal Ethics
Litigation Percentage
• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certified Legal Specialties
• Certified Lead Counsel, Capital Litigation Trial Bar, Illinois Supreme Court, 2001
Bar Admissions
• Illinois, 1985
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2008
Education
• Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York
o J.D. - 1983
o Honors: Order of Barristers, Moot Court
• University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
o B.A.
o Honors: With Honors
o Major: History
Published Works
• Reasonable Doubt Redux, 34 John Marshall L. Rev. 495, 2001
• The Admissibility of Expert Testimony, American Bar Association, 2003
Representative Cases
• People v. Terry Griggs, 152 Ill.2d 1, 604 N.E.2d 257 (Ill. S. Ct. 1992)
• People v. Arthur King, 154 Ill.2d 217, 608 N.E.2d 877 (Ill. S. Ct. 1993)
Classes/Seminars
• New Ideas for Jury Selection, Illinois Public Defender Association, 2007
• Capital Jury Selection, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal, 2007
Honors and Awards
• Kutak-Dodds Award, Defender Prize, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, 2003
Professional Associations and Memberships
• Illinois Public Defender Association, President, 2006 - 2008
• Illinois Public Defender Association, Board Member, 2000 - Present
Past Employment Positions
• Office of the State Appellate Defender, Deputy Defender, 2000 - 2008
• Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, Assistant Public Defender, 1989 - 2000
I was very pleased with this lecture. Very informative, functionally useful and well presented and documented.
one of my favorite speakers
Nice series
Fascinating.
Very experienced and articulate speaker.
good review on hearsay exceptions!
Experienced and engaging speaker
Outstanding.
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