Cardozo is pleased to announce Jane-Roberte Sampeur is the law school’s new Director of ITAP (Intensive Trial Advocacy Program). ITAP is a cornerstone of Cardozo's practical skills curriculum. In this two-week immersion course held each January, students learn cutting-edge strategies for courtroom litigation under the instruction of leading jurists and lawyers from across the country.
This year’s program, which began on January 3, is being conducted virtually due to concerns over the Omicron COVID variant.
Sampeur is Coordinator and Staff Attorney of the Women's Pretrial Release Initiative at the Legal Aid Society. Her current work includes direct bail representation, special litigation, bail reform policy and conducting extensive trainings on women’s pretrial detention and sentencing issues and unique bail issues. She began her career practicing on Rikers Island defending individuals in parole revocation proceedings. She then practiced as a Criminal Defense Attorney in the Legal Aid Society’s Brooklyn Trial Office where she represented people accused of high-level felonies and misdemeanors. Through her trainings, policy work and service on state and city committees, she is an active voice for reform and transformation within the criminal legal system. Sampeur has a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Sampeur said, “I have heard so many wonderful things about this program. I have read the reviews and talked to past ITAP students and professors. I hope to carry on the tradition and legacy. I have been doing a ton of research and preparation to orient myself with this amazing program. For many students ITAP is one of the most memorable experiences of their legal education.”
In a "master class" approach to learning, students practice direct and cross examinations, interviewing and preparing witnesses, selecting juries, dealing with evidentiary issues, and preparing for and presenting bench and jury trials. The course ends with students conducting a full jury trial.
At every step, students are critiqued by judges and lawyers, including individual reviews of student performances on video. The course is taught in small groups to give students direct feedback on their performance from judges and to allow each student to develop confidence in the various roles of being a trial lawyer.