National Association of Hearing Officials

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Welcome to NAHO

The National Association of Hearing Officials, Inc., is a professional nonprofit organization formed in 1987 comprised of individuals involved in the process of administrative adjudication. The twelve-member Board of Directors is elected by NAHO's membership and represents all sections of the country and a variety of administrative jurisdictions.

The mission of the National Association of Hearing Officials is to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the administrative hearing process, thus benefiting hearing officials, their employing agencies, and the individuals those agencies serve by:                                                 ~promoting professionalism;                 ~offering instruction on sound administrative adjudication practices and procedures;   ~providing year-round continuing legal and adjudicative education;                                         ~affording a national forum for discussion of important issues; and                                         ~furnishing leadership concerning the administrative hearing process.

NAHO does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, political affiliation, gender, gender expression, age, national origin/ethnicity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations. NAHO's membership reflects racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.

2022 NAHO MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Professional Development Conferences: 

NAHO's Spring Virtual Mini-Conference was held on Thursday, March 17, 2022, offering three hours of continuing legal education classes. NAHO's Autumn Virtual Mini-Conference will be held on Thursday, November 17, again providing three hour of continuing legal education classes.

NAHO's Annual Professional Development Conference will be held in person, August 7 through 10, in Chicago. It will offer 40 hours of continuing legal education classes over a period of four days. Completion of the entire conference would garner 15.5 hours of continuing legal education credits.

Certification: NAHO is the only national organization of administrative hearing officials which has a certification program for Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers. Upon successful completion of the educational and professional requirements and approval by the NAHO Board, a three-year certification is granted which can be renewed simply by keeping current on training in administrative adjudication.

Webinars:  NAHO is providing six free one-hour continuing legal education webinars to its members during 2022. The first three webinars were in January, April, and May. 
The three remaining CLE webinars will be held on Thursday, September 15, Thursday, October 20, and Thursday, December 15. (NAHO's webinars are always held on the third Thursday of the month at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 12:00 p.m. Central, 11:00 a.m. Mountain, and 10:00 a.m. Pacific to make it convenient for members to schedule their ongoing CLE classes around their business dockets.)

On-Demand Instruction: NAHO maintains a library of videos recorded from Professional Development Conferences and Webinars, which can be accessed online for a small fee. Viewing NAHO videos may also qualify for education credits toward NAHO certification and for self-study CLE credits in some states.

Customized Group Training: An agency may request customized training for their member-adjudicators in a particular area of administrative law or on specialized subjects. Presently, these are scheduled as webinars, with on-site training to resume in the future.

The NAHO News: NAHO's periodic newsletter keeps members informed about NAHO's activities and upcoming events. Members are encouraged to contribute articles of interest to administrative adjudicators.

Social Media Presence: Members can connect with NAHO by following NAHO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

NAHO Merchandise: Merchandise with the NAHO logo has long been available to members attending its in-person conferences. It will soon be available via the NAHO website. NAHO-logoed items include t-shirts, caps, padfolios, lapel pins, and face masks. Personalized, monogrammed NAHO items are available by special order.

Networking: NAHO is in the process of updating its website with new features to connect members.  Members will be able to access the email address of other members who conduct the same or similar types of hearings. There will also be a members-only blog on which members can share their comments on current events of interest to administrative adjudicators.

Renew for 2023

Free MCLE Webinars, Member Discounts for Virtual and In-Person Conferences

Questions?  Please contact your Regional Representative or Marilyn Slifman. 

We're always accepting new members!

NAHO Conferences

   2023 Professional     Development Conference

The National Judicial College 

September 10 - 13 Reno, NV

Created more than a half-century ago at the recommendation of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, The National Judicial College remains the only educational institution in the United States that teaches skills for presiding over administrative hearings to administrative hearing officials of all types from all over the country. 

The NJC’s headquarters in Reno houses an auditorium, classrooms, model courtroom, computer lab, multimedia room, resource center, discussion areas, and administrative space. All classrooms are equipped with Smart Classroom teaching technology that integrates computers, responder systems, audio/visual equipment, and sound systems. 

To ensure world-class education, the NJC prepares its volunteer faculty of administrative law judges and hearing officials, as well as paid professional experts such as law professors and security experts, by having both groups participate in a faculty development workshop. The workshops prepare instructors to teach adult learners.

NJC courses are often built around a “learn by doing” model that includes role playing, tests and quizzes, case studies, and learning games.


NAHO's venue for the 2023 Professional Development Conference is the Whitney Peak Hotel, in the heart of downtown Reno. It is Reno's only non-smoking and non-gaming luxury boutique property. It opened in 2014, and has recently remodeled its rooms and meeting spaces.


The hotel attributes its success to its unique features. Basecamp, a 7,000-square-foot indoor bouldering gym—boasts the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall. Heritage is a farm to table restaurant in the hotel with a menu that changes alongside the seasons. The Cargo Concert Hall is a unique gateway to the sounds of Reno, and highlights the Reno music scene.

Enjoy networking with your colleagues at the Whitney Peak Hotel, ideally located at 225 Virginia Avenue within easy walking distance of restaurants, museums, theaters, parks, and and the River Walk! 

Benefitting Hearing Officials and the Individuals they Serve...

Please make sure we have your current email address on file! You can update your email address anytime by logging into the NAHO website and updating your profile.  If you have forgotten your password, click the icon below to reset.  


Spring Virtual Mini-Conference    

Thursday, April 20, 2023

11:00 a.m. Eastern

10:00 a.m. Central

9:00 a.m. Mountain

8:00 a.m. Pacific

7:00 a.m. Alaska

5:00 a.m. Hawaii


Conference Registration Fees

NAHO Members                       $35  

Non-Members                          $70

Registration + Membership    $85


        Three one-hour classes        will be presented.

 

Conference Session Descriptions 

Using Demeanor Evidence to Determine Facts (M)                         This session discusses the nature, history, and use of demeanor evidence to determine witness credibility in fact-finding by administrative adjudicators, analyzes credibility determinations involving demeanor evidence in the written decisions of adjudicators, and examines the use of demeanor evidence using hypotheticals drawn from administrative hearings.

Developing Trends in          Administrative Law (M)                         In West Virginia v. EPA, the U.S. Supreme Court mandated that administrative agencies must point to clear legislative endorsement for the authority claimed when deciding “major questions”. Do you know when and whether the issues before you are “major questions”? Agencies have long relied on the deference afforded by Chevron USA Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, but appellate courts have recently opined that the Chevron doctrine applies rarely and narrowly. Do you know under what circumstances it may or may not in your hearings? In Lucia v. SEC, the U.S. Supreme Court held that some ALJs lacked the property authority to decide certain cases. Might the same logic be applied to state or local administrative adjudicators or to adjudicators hired on a case-by-case/hourly basis? U.S. Supreme Court decisions can impact how we do what we do. Do you know when and how? This thought-provoking class will provide context and understanding to grasp these important concepts.

Creating & Preserving the                  Record for Review (M)                         A dispute was settled by hearing but the petitioning party didn’t like the outcome. Due process demands there be a means of review for the dissatisfied party. The reviewing entity can’t speculate regarding whether the adjudicator determined the case correctly. They must rely upon the record to determine whether the adjudicator made any legal errors and whether the facts found were supported by the evidence. This class addresses best practices and pitfalls on creating and preserving hearing records.

Supplemental written materials for all virtual sessions will be available to registrants on the NAHO website from April 17 through May 31.

Conference Presenters                        

Gregory L. Ogden, Professor (CA)  Pepperdine Caruso School of Law                       Prof. Ogden has a BA, cum laude, from UCLA, a JD from UC Davis School of Law, an LLM from Temple University in legal education, and an LLM from Columbia University in administrative law. Since 1978, he has taught administrative law, civil procedure, professional responsibility, and remedies and is principal author of California Public Administrative Law. He’s been faculty editor of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary (NAALJ) Journal since 2000 and teaches at many continuing legal and judicial education conferences on administrative law, judicial ethics, and related topics.

W. Michael Gillette, Associate Justice (OR) Oregon Supreme Court (retired)                         Mick Gillette holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA, cum laude, from Whitman College. He served as Deputy D.A. in Portland, Oregon, Assistant Attorney General for American Samoa, Deputy Attorney General and founding head of the Consumer Protection Division in Oregon, as well as Chief Trial Counsel and Solicitor General. He served on the Oregon Court of Appeals for 8 years, on the Oregon Supreme Court for 25 years, and has taught at the National Judicial College for 43 years. He is the recipient of NJC’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and has also served as adjunct professor at Portland State University and at both Lewis and Clark and Willamette University Schools of Law.

Toni Boone, ALJ (OR)                                     NV Dept. of Motor Vehicles (retired)          In 31 years of presiding over administrative hearings, Toni Boone was final authority on thousands of high-volume cases and hundreds of complex cases and conducted review of initial proceedings. She’s an alumna of the University of Arkansas and of The National Judicial College (NJC), having attained Certificates of Judicial Development in Administrative Law Adjudication Skills and Dispute Resolution Skills. In 2000, she joined the NJC faculty and in 2019 was awarded NJC’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She achieved NAHO certification in 2008 and currently serves as NAHO’s President.


Conference Brochure

© National Association of Hearing Officials
PO Box 492286
Lawrenceville, GA 30049

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