EFFECTIVE AND ZEALOUS LEGAL REPRESENTATION: HONING SKILLS AND CREATING STRATEGIES ON BEHALF OF PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

 

 

January 21, 2005

MCLE, Boston

8:00 Registration and Breakfast

8:30 Welcome

8:45 Competence to Consent to Treatment: Assessment and Management

Leading expert in the evaluation of decisional capacity will present his latest model for assessing individuals’ competency to make decisions regarding treatment and its application to competency determinations in adults and children with mental illness for the purpose of legal representation.

Paul Appelbaum, M.D., A.F. Zeleznik Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Director, Law and Psychiatry Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School

10:30 Cross Examination of Experts: Techniques and Understanding

Panel of experienced professionals will demonstrate skills necessary for effective cross examination of experts at trial as well as illicit audience participation in the discussion of appropriate attorney objections and court rulings.

Hon. Thomas A. Connors, Acting First Justice, Dedham District Court
Lisa van Gordon d’Errico, J.D., Solo Practitioner
William Land, M.D., Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Thomas F. Schiavoni, J.D., McGee and Schiavoni

12:00 Lunch (on your own)

1:00 Thoughts from the District Court Chief

Lynda M. Connolly, Chief Justice, District Court Department

1:30 Strategic Decisions in Civil Commitment Cases for Adults and for Children in DSS Custody

Key players will analyze the complexities involved in representing children and adults in mental health commitment cases, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your case, deciding when and if to seek funds for an independent, determining the advantages and disadvantages of a trial, negotiating settlements and trial issues.

Hon. Jonathan Brant, Justice, District Court, Cambridge Division
Diane Geraghty, J.D., Connor and Hilliard
Stan Goldman, J.D., Director, Mental Health Litigation Unit, Committee for Public Counsel Services
Margaret Winchester, J.D., Co-Director, Children and Family Law Unit, Committee for Public Counsel Services

3:30 Attorney-Client Communication: Recognizing the Barriers and Overcoming the Hurdles

Original, informative presentation will assist lawyers in recognizing psychiatric symptoms that create obstacles to communication with persons with mental illness and will offer suggestions on how to ameliorate these difficulties during the course of your representation.

Judith G. Edersheim, J.D., M.D., Clinical Associate in Psychiatry and Staff Psychiatrist, Law and Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital