On next Tuesday, March 22nd, I will be speaking at the University of Virginia Law School. The gathering will occur at 12:30, and the UVA Innocence Clinic will be providing lunch. Special thanks to Allison Harnack for putting the event together. The blurb is below.
The University of Virginia Innocence Project Presents Shon R. Hopwood
Accomplished jailhouse lawyer and Supreme Court practitioner Shon R. Hopwood will speak about his experiences on both sides of the criminal justice system. This talk should be of interest to anyone interested in criminal law or Supreme Court practice.
Shon Hopwood spent ten years inside a federal prison as a result of multiple bank robbery convictions. While in prison, he became a self-taught jailhouse lawyer, preparing dozens of legal briefs and post-conviction motions for other prisoners. When his very first petition for certiorari for the Supreme Court was granted and ruled on unanimously in his favor, he caught the attention of star legal practitioners and academics. Since his release, Mr. Hopwood has been working as an analyst with the nation’s largest producer of Supreme Court briefs–assisting attorneys nationwide with drafting appellate briefs and Supreme Court petitions. To date, he has written over 20 petitions for certiorari to the Supreme Court. He has been profiled in the New York Times, Above the Law, the ABA Journal and the Saturday Evening Post, and his unique story of redemption against the odds is the subject of an upcoming book published by Random House.
Among other topics, Mr. Hopwood will speak about the specific challenges prisoners face when preparing briefs and filing post-conviction motions, the injustices inherent in current federal sentencing procedures, how criminal justice practitioners can effectively connect with their clients, and Supreme Court practice in general. Following the talk there will be a question and answer period. Lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sponsored by the University of Virginia Innocence Project.