NCDD
NCDD Mission Statement
Board
Certification
Become
a Member
Seminars /
and Webinars

Become a Member

We now offer members the choice to enroll in "AUTO-RENEW", which will automatically renew your annual membership based on your chosen payment method. The plans that do NOT feature "AUTO-RENEW" will require manual payments each year.

NEW ATTORNEYS

in practice Less than 6 Years

$200/yr

AUTO-RENEW

SELECT PLAN

SEASONED ATTORNEYS

in practice More than 6 Years

$250/yr

AUTO-RENEW

SELECT PLAN

PUBLIC DEFENDERS

in practice as Public Defenders

$50/yr

AUTO-RENEW

SELECT PLAN

We now offer members the ability to enroll in "AUTO-RENEW", which will automatically charge your annual dues to the credit card provided. By selecting “Auto-Renew”, you agree that we may renew your membership automatically each year at the current applicable price and you authorize NCDD to charge that amount to the credit card provided, unless you cancel your membership prior to the renewal date. You can cancel your membership by sending an email to rhea@ncdd.com. If your charge is not successfully processed, for any reason, NCDD will send you an invoice.

If you choose not to select "AUTO-RENEW", your first year's dues payment will be prorated through the end of this year. Your next year’s dues payment will be due, in full, by January 31 of the next year and ever year thereafter.

NEW ATTORNEYS

in practice Less than 6 Years

$200

Non Auto-Renew

SELECT PLAN

SEASONED ATTORNEYS

in practice More than 6 Years

$250

Non Auto-Renew

SELECT PLAN

PUBLIC DEFENDERS

in practice as Public Defenders

$50

Non Auto-Renew

SELECT PLAN

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Board Certification in DUI/DWI Defense - The American Bar Association, in 2003, recognized DUI Defense Law as a specialty area in the practice of law, and in 2004 the ABA awarded its "Certificate of Accreditation" to the Board Certification program of the National College for DUI Defense. The NCDD is the only organization in the country accredited to certify lawyers in the DUI Defense Law specialty practice area.

Seminars - The Summer Session, conducted at Harvard Law School in July, is the signature program to develop skills for trial, including methods for attacking field sobriety tests, breath and blood tests, for making opening statements and closing arguments, for learning techniques in cross-examining police officers and prosecution experts, and for developing and using defense expert witnesses. The Summer Session is limited in size to preserve a low student/faculty ratio. In addition to the Summer Session, the NCDD co-sponsors the annual "DWI Means Defend with Ingenuity"™ with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a seminar which is held each fall in Las Vegas. The College also co-sponsors with the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the annual "Mastering Scientific Evidence" seminar held each spring in New Orleans.

You will be given opportunities to obtain, from our seminars, the highest legal training and information available in:

  • Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
  • Breath Alcohol Defenses
  • Blood Alcohol Defenses
  • Gas Chromatography for Alcohol Tests
  • Mass Spectrometry for Drug Tests

CLE Reporting Fees and certificates of attendance are sent directly to reporting agencies on your behalf.

NCDD's Website features an integrative virtual forensic library, allows you to manage your entire NCDD experience from your own personalized dashboard and contains a new and improved and more searchable membership directory.

Virtual Forensic Library - Our Virtual Forensic Library comprises the largest collection of scientific journals, articles and studies to assist in the defense of impaired drivers. The library's Brief and Motions Bank is the repository of the collective wisdom of our membership at your fingertips. Members have access to transcripts of actual examinations of top experts and cross examinations of police officers by experienced DUI lawyers.

Access to Experts - our organization has access to some of the world's renowned forensic experts in every area of DUI defense-including alcohol, drug, and sobriety testing.

NCDD Journal - is a digital bi-annual newsletter discussing topics of interest to the DUI defense community.

"I need a repair or operators manual for a certain breath alcohol ..."

When you join the National College for DUI Defense, your access to documents regarding the operation and functioning of virtually every breath alcohol machine used by law enforcement is just a click away. And you will win more cases.

"I would like some training on DUI issues such as ..."

When you join the National College for DUI Defense, your access to documents regarding the operation and functioning of virtually every breath alcohol machine used by law enforcement is just a click away. And you will win more cases.

"I am looking for a scientific article on alcohol or drugs and ..."

Become a member of NCDD and gain access to an online library which contains thousands of scientific articles dealing with alcohol, drugs, driving, testing, limitations, errors, and everything necessary to become the best attorney and expert in the courtroom. As a member you have the opportunity to attend our annual ‘Mastering Scientific Evidence' three day seminar to give you added expertise. And you will win more cases.

"I need an expert that can testify on ..."

Members of the National College enjoy access to experts in the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, drug or alcohol testing, blood or breath testing, accident reconstruction and field sobriety testing. If you simply have a question that needs answering, or are looking for a qualified witness for a trial, you will find them through the other members of NCDD. And you will win more cases.

"I could use some help! I need a motion for an unusual case and unusual facts ..."

When you join the National College for DUI Defense, it's like adding 1300 lawyers to your knowledge base and to your law firm. The NCDD listserver provides members access to lawyers and advice that will change a difficult case to one with copies of motions, ideas, and assistance unlike anything you may have received in the past. And you will win more cases.

"What effect will this case have on my client's out-of-state license?"

With over 1300 members representing all 50 states, plus Canada and as far away as South Africa, our members can assist you with any special licensing concerns that might effect that special client of yours. And you will win more cases.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

1. If administered correctly, the HGN test takes approximately how long to perform?

According to an article written by NCDD Fellow Troy McKinney “Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus – How it Works – How to Challenge and Exclude It” it takes 82 seconds to correctly perform the HGN test.

2. According to NHTSA, speeding is one of the top 30 clues of impaired driving (true/false)

False. NHTSA manuals are made available to NCDD members that can establish this fact and more.

3. What effect does holding your breath have on a breath test result?

Holding your breath can cause the result to increase. Experts that have published articles on this subject frequently offer assistance to NCDD members.

4. What is the ‘sale of the house' analogy in DUI closing arguments?

Credited to attorney and NCDD member Felipe Plascencia, the sale of the house analogy describes the trial as a house, the police officer as the owner, and the prosecutor as the real estate agent. The jury is the potential buyer of the house that the prosecution and police are attempting to convince to buy the house (which is represented to be in excellent condition). The defense attorney is the home inspector who discovers the faults and defects within the house. The faults and defects should create doubt in the minds of the buyers, who then issue a no sale verdict (i.e. not guilty verdict). This and many other techniques are taught to NCDD members through attendance at our NCDD seminars.

5. What effect does Ringer's lactate have on blood alcohol testing?

It has no effect on whole blood testing. However if serum testing is employed using an enzymatic assay method (such as EMIT) then the use of Ringer's lactate has been shown to cause false-positives or artificially increased alcohol results. the NCDD virtual library contains scientific articles that discuss this problem. By joining, an NCDD member receives access to these materials.

6. The scientific ratio for determining whole blood alcohol content from a serum test is 1.18 (true/false)

False. There is actually a range of reported ratios that published scientific articles report as low as 1.10 and as high as 1.50. Members can visit the NCDD virtual library for the materials.

7. What does the Rho factor in Widmark's formula stand for?

Widmark's formula is used to determine a possible alcohol level at particular point in time using calculations based on factors such as weight, sex, amount of alcohol consumed, and times.
The formula is A= c x p x r:
A= amount of alcohol in body (grams)
C= blood alcohol concentration (mg/g)
P= body weight (kilograms)
R= rho (or Widmark factor) which is the volume of distribution of alcohol.

8. The three phases of NHTSA's DUI Detection are?

Found in the NHTSA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Student Manuals, they are:
a. Vehicle in Motion
b. Personal Contact
c. Pre-arrest Screening

9. What are 5 of the 20 myths of breath testing?

This question is based on NCDD member Lenny Stamm's published article entitled "THE TOP 20 MYTHS OF BREATH, BLOOD AND URINE TESTING". Click on the title to learn about all 20 myths. These and many other articles are made available to NCDD members at no additional cost.

10. What is 'salting out' and how does it effect a blood test's accuracy?

A: The chemicals which are added to many blood samples taken by police, sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate, are salts. If too much is added, or the amount of blood placed into the tube is less than the desired amount, then the ratio of salt to blood can become too high. This can cause extra alcohol to leach into the air above the blood sample (i.e. headspace) in the blood vial. If the laboratory uses the headspace method of analysis, the results can become artificially high. Extra precautions must be taken by the lab to counter this phenomona. Dr. Alexander Robert Walker Forrest has written “it has been known for many years that the salting-out of Ethanol can occur in head space vials. For example, in 1983 AW Jones demonstrated that a concentration of 10 milligrams per millilitre of Sodium Fluoride in whole blood would increase the concentration of Ethanol in the head space vial by 8.9%. [Jones AW.(1983)…. When I carried out similar experiments using Methanol as the internal standard an apparent rise in the alcohol concentration of about 7% was found when only 0.5 millilitres of sample was added to the RTA vial as compared to the recommended volume. This was because the salting-out effect is greater for Ethanol than it is for Methanol in the head space vial. It has been suggested in the scientific literature, again by Professor A.W. Jones [(Jones AW). Salting-out effect of sodium chloride and its influence on the analysis of Ethanol by head space gas chromatography. Journal of Analytical Toxicology. 18 (5) : 292-3, 1994] that the salting-out phenomenon can be minimalised by diluting the sample and internal standard ten fold in the head space vial to reduce salting-out effects. In fact, the data he presented demonstrate that the salting-out effect is not, in fact, totally abolished by this technique. ”

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FROM OUR BLOG

Pesky Lab Results Hindering Your Defense?

07/15/2024

By Karleigh Miller Many drunk driving cases involve a chemical test indicating what substance the government believes you are impaired by. The government utilizes testing devices to analyze and quantify the alleged substance or substances in the blood. The government then can utilize the result in Trial against you. In Trial, the government may admit the test results in through the...

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Autonomous Vehicles

03/04/2024

By Lance Hendron A couple of months ago, I presented an NCDD webinar highlighting the current state of automatous driving. Since the webinar, there have been recent updates concerning the evolution of automatous driving. Probably the most significant update concerns Telsa's recall of two million vehicles considering serious concerns about its autonomous driving features. Per reports, "numerous reported cases reveal shortcomings in...

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