Abstract:
This session comes from the perspective of a criminal defense attorney who has examined the social history of thousands of criminal defendants with substance abuse issues. This session will examine the addicted client/patient as a reflection of generational trauma and familial issues that eventually manifest in the addiction of the family member who is labeled problematic.
This session will identify familial factors that lead an individual toward substance abuse, and offer methods for attorneys to use those factors in defense of the client. It will offer insight on treating the patient and defending the client as a group process involving the family and the acknowledgement that most addicts do not reach the breaking point on their own.
Biography:
I have my BA from Georgetown University and my JD from Emory University SOL. I have 23 years of experience in Criminal Defense practice. I’ve given trainings for CPDA since 2003. I’ve been an adjunct with Santa Clara Univeristy SOL Trial Techniques program since 2002, and the Stanford Trial Advocacy Program since 2009.
I am a repeat presenter for the International Academy of Law and Mental Health at their last three Congresses in Vienna, Prague, and Rome. I’m also a repeat lecturer for the Magnus Group. I recently lectured for the Sonoma County Bar Association on issues of race in February 2021, and on gender in March 2021 for Elimination of Bias credit. It was open to all (prosecutors included) through the Bar Association.
My last project was with 2nd International Webinar on Physical Health, Nursing Care, and COVID 19 Management on March 19, 2021. I served as the moderator, and my lecture was titled ”Is PTSD The New Normal? Life and Practice After A Global Crisis.”
I am published in The International Journal of Forensic Science.
