This unique presentation will be taught from the perspective of a police defense attorney who takes depositions of officers and claimants and the perspective of an officer who has been through depositions both as an officer and as an expert witness. The focus is on strategies that should be implemented with your team to help protect officers, teams, and agencies by placing them in the most defensible position possible. What individual and team practices should be instituted, and what ones should be eliminated? Common courtroom challenges and allegations that arise in lawsuits and strategies to avoid them and win when in court will be discussed. Best practices and courtroom trends will be discussed in-depth.

Attorney Luis Robles has represented government clients for the past three decades. Having defended numerous police misconduct and prisoner rights cases in both federal and state courts, Mr. Robles is a trial lawyer with considerable expertise in Section 1983 and New Mexico Tort Claims Act litigation. Both as an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Albuquerque and in private practice, he has litigated numerous claims involving high speed vehicle pursuits, warrantless arrests, search warrant procurement and execution, crowd control during mass protests, use of less-lethal force, the use of Taser, police K-9 apprehension (bite), and police shootings. During his thirty years in the practice, he has tried approximately 70 cases to juries in federal and state court. He has successfully defended twelve police shooting cases (five by jury trial and seven by summary judgment). He also obtained defense verdicts in five police K-9 apprehension cases, and two large scale anti-war protest cases by jury trial. Mr. Robles is also experienced in defending matters involving prison and correctional facility cases. In a high-profile criminal case, Mr. Robles represented one of two police officers who were charged with Second Degree Murder, Voluntary Manslaughter, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon for the officers' use of deadly force. After a two and half weeks of trial, the jury hung, splitting their vote 9-3 in favor of the officers. In addition to trial work, Mr. Robles has represented governmental entities before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in several cases. On appeal, he has successfully represented his clients in police shooting, wrongful imprisonment, and police K-9 apprehension cases, among various others. Mr. Robles frequently provides training seminars also for law enforcement, corrections, and other security personnel. As well as teaching basic cadet level courses, he regularly provides advanced level training for tactical team members and supervisors in high liability areas. As a result of his efforts, Martindale-Hubbell has rated Mr. Robles as an AV attorney recognizing him as a lawyer with pre-eminent legal abilities. Additionally, Mr. Robles is board certified in local government law by the New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization.