Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
2025-2026 Membership is now Open for Registration.
The Death Penalty and Defending a Capital Case
Speaker
John Cotsirilos, JD
Coordinator
Michael Lipman
This presentation will discuss the case law history and practical application of the California death penalty statutory scheme, including the following legal issues: 1) history of the death penalty, 2) present legal parameters for trial of a death penalty case, 3) the law and procedures relating to post-conviction death penalty litigation, 4) systemic issues such as prosecutorial discretion and budgeting concerns, and 5) policy and ethical dilemmas concerning the death penalty such as volunteers, race discrimination and arbitrariness.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: John Cotsirilos has been in private practice in San Diego since 1981 and has defended numerous homicide and death penalty cases. Previously he worked in the Riverside Public Defender’s Office and at San Diego’s Defender’s Inc. He is a past president of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work in the justice system in San Diego. He received his law degree from DePaul Law School.
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