Preserving PFA Issues for Appeal: A Defense Guide to the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act
Tracks
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| Saturday, November 7, 2026 |
| 9:35 AM - 10:35 AM |
| Redbird CD |
Overview
Manuela Hernandez, Supervisor and Eric Castañeda, Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender - PFA Unit
Details
The presentation is about the process for appealing PFA issues, what those issues are, and how to preserve them.
Speaker
Eric Castañeda
Assistant Appellate Defender
Office of the State Appellate Defender - PFA Unit
Preserving PFA Issues for Appeal: A Defense Guide to the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act
Biography
Eric Castañeda received his law degree from the The John Marshall Law School in 2015. Following law school, Eric worked as a law clerk in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County and has been working in his current position as an Assistant Appellate Defender at OSAD since 2017. He has been a part of the PFA Unit at OSAD since the Act was passed in 2023.
Manuela Hernandez
Supervisor
Office Of The State Appellate Defender
Preserving PFA Issues for Appeal: A Defense Guide to the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act
Biography
Manuela Hernandez started her career as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, N.Y. After moving to Chicago in 2011, she worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and then joined the Office of the State Appellate Defender as an Assistant Appellate Defender in 2017. She is currently a supervisor in the Pretrial Fairness Act Unit.
