Webinar Archive: Expert Witness Series
1
When Advocates are Asked to be Expert Witnesses: Weighing Possible Drawbacks and Benefits
(April 18, 2013)
Presenter: Cindene Pezzell
This webinar is designed to help participants think critically about the possible benefits and drawbacks of utilizing domestic violence and/or sexual assault advocates as expert witnesses. Read more...
2
Testifying as an Expert Witness: Understanding the Role of Experts and Different Legal Arenas
May 1, 2013)
Presenter: Cindene Pezzell
This webinar is designed for community-based domestic violence advocates who are considering working as expert witnesses, but have little or no experience in the legal setting. It includes a general overview of the role of expert witnesses, descriptions of the differences between the legal settings in which one may work, and information about the importance of understanding one's role, and the goal and function of specific legal arenas. Read more...
3
Considerations for Aspiring Experts at Community-Based Domestic Violence Programs (May 13, 2013)
Presenters: Laurie Schipper and Kirsten Faisal
This webinar helps advocates understand the range of skills and knowledge needed to be an effective expert witness, how to begin to develop and enhance these skills, and ways that advocate-experts can evaluate whether they are an appropriate expert for a particular case. Read more...
4
Preparing for Your First Case as a Domestic Violence Expert Witness (June 5, 2013)
Presenters: Scott Miller and Melissa Scaia
This webinar is intended to help new expert witnesses (who will be providing general testimony on domestic violence and/or sexual assault) be as prepared as possible when they take the stand for the first time. Read more...
5
Prosecutors' Use of Expert Testimony to Explain Victim Behavior in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Cases (June 20, 2013)
Presenter: Christopher Mallios
Sometimes when prosecuting a defendant in a domestic violence or sexual assault case, prosecutors realize that the victim's conduct may not comport with what many believe is "typical" victim behavior. In these cases, what the victim did or did not do may seem bizarre, confusing, or otherwise inexplicable to potential jurors or the judge and, often times, severely undermines a victim's credibility. This webinar describes common victim behaviors and dynamics in domestic violence and sexual assault cases as well as their impacts on fact finders' assessments of victim credibility. Read more...
6
Understanding the Role of Experts in Immigration Proceedings Involving Victims of Battering, Part 1 (November 19, 2013)
Presenters: Edna Yang and Noel Bridget Busch-Armendariz
This webinar helps participants understand the ways that expert assistance can benefit battered women involved in immigration proceedings. The presenters discuss the role of experts in these proceedings, common substantive areas in which expert assistance is valuable, and ways that expert assistance in immigration proceedings is similar to and different from expert work in other legal arenas. Read more...
7
When Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocates Provide Expert Testimony on Behalf of the Defense (June 3, 2014)
Presenter: Cindene Pezzell
Testifying on behalf of the defense in a criminal case can raise some questions and challenges for expert witnesses who have never testified, or who have testified only on behalf of the prosecution or in civil cases. This webinar provides participants with some basic information about the ways that expert testimony can be used on behalf of battered women charged with crimes.. Read more...
8
Understanding the Role of Experts in Immigration Proceedings Involving Victims of Battering, Part 2 (June 30, 2014)
Presenters: Edna Yang and Noel Bridget Busch-Armendariz
Following up on a webinar from November 2013, by the same presenters, this webinar provides participants with additional information about the uses of expert witnesses in immigration proceedings involving victims of battering. The presenters discuss the process and use of survivor interviews/evaluations and the types of expertise necessary for different kinds of immigration proceedings. Read more...
9
Working Together: What Attorneys and DV/SA Experts Can and Should Expect From One Another (July 7, 2014)
Presenters: Kirsten Faisal and Tim Gruenke
Expert witnesses and the attorneys they work with sometimes have conflicting assumptions and expectations about the preparation and presentation of a court case. In this webinar, Kirsten Faisal, a long-time advocate with extensive experience as an expert witness, teams up with Tim Gruenke, a veteran prosecutor, to discuss strategies for working together effectively in cases involving survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. Read more...
10
Working as an Expert Witness in Domestic Violence Cases: Lessons from the Witness Stand
(December 4, 2014)
Presenters: Shelby A. D. Moore and Toby Myers
This webinar features two experienced expert witnesses — one a licensed social worker and the other an attorney — both who have testified in numerous cases involving victims of battering. Dr. Toby Myers and Shelby Moore, Esq. talk about their experiences testifying, memorable cases they have worked on, and some of the good — and hard —- lessons learned along the way. Read more...
11
Expert Witness Testimony in Cases Involving Domestic Violence (May 15, 2015)
Presenters: Mary Ann Dutton and Dawn M. Hughes
In this webinar, Dr. Mary Ann Dutton and Dr. Dawn Hughes discuss common concerns of experts who are preparing to take the witness stand in matters involving domestic violence; they share practical advice for communicating effectively on the witness stand; and also discuss some of the commonly encountered pitfalls faced by domestic violence expert witnesses during testimony, and offer skills for navigating complicated situations that arise while testifying. Read more...
12
Providing Expert Testimony about the General Dynamics of Battering (June 8, 2015)
Presenters: Linda Barnard and Nancy Lemon
Two very experienced domestic violence experts discuss their experiences providing testimony about the general dynamics of battering in cases involving intimate partner violence in a variety of settings and some of the key areas that their testimony often covers such as such as strangulation, suffocation, marital rape, and trauma. Using numerous case examples, they share their wisdom and some of the critical lessons they've learned over their long careers as domestic violence experts. Read more...
13
Domestic Violence Expert Witnesses in Civil Legal Proceedings (December 3, 2015)
Presenters: Margaret Bassett and Kirsten Faisal
When victims of battering are involved in civil legal proceedings, domestic violence experts can help victims and their attorneys ensure that fact finders do not make legal decisions influenced by myths and misconceptions about survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence. In this webinar, two experienced expert witnesses, discuss ways that domestic violence experts can help civil attorneys prepare for cases involving victims of battering by educating attorneys about domestic violence, consulting with attorneys about how victims' cases might be impacted — negatively or positively — by evidence of domestic violence, and helping attorneys prepare to litigate cases. Read more...
14
Preparing for your First Case as a Domestic Violence Expert Witness (June 13, 2016)
Presenters: Scott Miller and Melissa Scaia
Description: This webinar helps new expert witnesses (who will be providing general testimony on domestic violence and/or sexual assault) be as prepared as possible when they take the stand for the first time. It provides a "to-do" list that aspiring experts can use to help them negotiate the court setting, organize their thoughts and information, and respond to questions about their training and experience. In addition, participants hear some examples of common pitfalls faced by new experts, and tips for handling them. Read more...
15
Re-framing Woman Battering as Coercive Control: Expert Testimony and Case Presentation
(October 25, 2016)
Presenter: Evan Stark
A majority of battered women facing criminal charges have experienced physical and emotional abuse as part of an ongoing pattern of coercive control. Expert testimony about coercive control can help judges and juries better understand the context of defendants' behavior by helping them to look beyond physical violence. Using case examples from his forensic practice, Dr. Evan Stark explains why it is essential to 'look beyond violence' in explaining partner abuse to the court. Read more...
