Criminal Law Section to distribute handbook on closing arguments.

The Criminal Law Section will soon begin distributing a handbook to every prosecutor and public defender in the state on how to avoid mistakes in closing arguments that lead to reversals by appellate courts.

Aside from public defenders and prosecutors, Sepler said the handbook will be distributed to attorney general offices, and all trial and district court of appeal judges.

Chair Harvey Sepler told the Bar Board of Governors last month that the section has been Working on the handbook since last year and will also hold OLE courses for affected attorneys.

The section is also working with the Bar's Center for Professionalism to offer seminars for every felony prosecutor and public defender in the state. The section got involved in the project, he said, after appellate judges complained about the number of cases that had to be overturned because of errors in closing arguments.

He praised West Palm Beach attorney and former section chair Douglas Duncan for spearheading the closing argument project.

The second area of recent activity for the section was helping the legislature on bills affecting the criminal justice system. Sepler said the section rarely takes a position, but instead seeks to use its unique position of representing prosecutors, defenders, judges, and law professors to provide technical assistance.

"We figure that our section is in the best position to be able to educate legislators on what this proposal means to individual judges and attorneys around the state," he said. "We try to present a fair...