Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Syllabus
Seminar Leader: Andrew F. Branca is in his third decade of practicing law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
(BBO#: 557995). He has written several published books on the law of self-defense, including the currently available
The Law of Self Defense, 3rd Edition, (ISBN: 978-1-943809-14-1). He is an internationally recognized expert on the
law of self-defense, and has been quoted in this context by the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the
Washington Post, and many other mainstream media, including nationally syndicated broadcast media and foreign
press. He is a former Adjunct and Guest Instructor on use-of-force law at the Sig Sauer Academy. Andrew is also a
frequent speaker at law school symposia, including winning the 2014 UC Berkeley Law School Stand-Your-Ground
Debate, as well as at major industry events, including the NRA Annual Meeting 2014 and the USCCA Expo 2016.
Seminar Duration 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Total CLE time: 4 to 6 hours general CLE (varies by state)
Block 1: Understanding the Use-of-Force Legal Playing Field (9:00AM to 9:45AM)
Establishes a common foundation to ensure a robust understanding of the use-of-force legal playing field,
including some perhaps not-obvious consequences of raising the legal defense of self-defense, who bears
responsibility for proving what at trial, red flags that encourage prosecutors to bring cases to trial, exactly
what must be done to overcome a claim of self-defense, and accidental killings, and more.
Q&A: (9:45AM to 9:55AM)
Break (9:55AM to 10:00AM)
Block 2: Five Principles of the Law of Self-Defense (10:00AM to 10:45AM)
1. Innocence
2. Imminence
3. Proportionality
Emphasis is applied using actual law to illustrate varied approaches taken by different states.
Q&A (10:45AM to 10:55AM)
Break (10:55AM to 11:00AM)
Syllabus (v.161027)
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Syllabus (v.161027)
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