General

This webinar features Rebecca Leitman Veidlinger. Rebecca spent eight years as a prosecutor in Bloomington, Indiana, where she handled domestic and sexual violence cases involving children and adults. Building on her background as a prosecutor in a Big Ten college town, Rebecca served as a Title IX investigator at the University of Michigan. Rebecca will be discussing Title IX investigations and Campus Sexual Assault. Her discussion covers the intersection between Title IX investigation and criminal investigations by law enforcement. This webinar first aired on 4/17/20.

The Violence Against Women Project welcomed Pamela Maas to discuss Rape Shield. Pamela is the current PAAM Child Abuse Prosecution Resources Director. At the time the webinar first aired, Pamela was the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Livingston County. Pam provided an overview of the statue and highlighted some issues and caselaw. She touched on issues such as prior allegations of sexual assault, sexual conduct, prior “false” allegations, and notice requirements. This webinar first aired on 5/15/20.

This webinar feature Erica Smith, former VAWP training attorney. Erica discusses DV Dynamics focusing on Batterer’s tactics and victim behavior. Erica explains how DV cases differ from other assaultive crime cases. Erica highlights the benefits of being offender-focused in handling DV cases. Erica provides information and practical tips for prosecutors to utilize when preparing for and prosecuting intimate partner violence cases. This webinar first aired on 5/7/20.

This webinar feature Erica Smith, former VAWP training attorney. Erica provides an introduction and overview to Personal Protection Orders. Erica highlights the differences between a PPO and a no-contact order in a criminal prosecution. Erica further discusses the basics of the PPO, including the application/petition process, the different types of PPOs, enforcement of the PPO and expiration of the PPO. This webinar first aired on 5/1/20.

This webinar features VAWP Director Tanya Abdelnour, as she discusses other acts evidence. In this webinar Tanya discusses the differences between MCL 768.27 a & b and MRE 404b. Discussion includes what other acts are allowable under MCL 768.27(a) & (b) as well as notice requirements. Tanya also discusses some the challenges and the caselaw related to these challenges. This webinar first aired on 4/9/20.

Please join VAWP Director/Training Attorney Tanya Abdelnour, as she walks us through an expert witness review and discusses recent cases that impacted the use of expert witnesses in violence against women cases. Topics include rules of evidence, typical experts in sexual assault and domestic cases, limitations on expert testimony and caselaw updates. This webinar first aired on 2/21/20.

This webinar features Erica Smith former VAWP training attorney, and Elinor Jordan, Senior Program Manager at the Survivor Law Clinic. Erica and Elinor discuss the topic of victims who have substance abuse issues. Ellie discusses what may cause your victim to abuse legal and illegal substances, and how to handle that issue in case preparation as well as in court. This webinar first aired on 1/10/2020.

Victims with mental health issues can present unique challenges when prosecuting domestic violence or sexual assault cases. In this webinar, Elinor Jordan, Senior Program Manager at the Survivor Law Clinic, talks with Erica Smith, former VAWP training attorney about some basic information regarding mental health concerns and how it can impact your victim throughout the course of your case. They provide tips on how best to engage with these victims, as well as some legal strategies regarding what may need to be disclosed and how to respond to defense challenges to your victim. This webinar first aired on 11/8/2019.

Does scoring sentencing guidelines on Criminal Sexual Conduct cases leave you with more questions than answers? Are you wondering if you are missing opportunities to score more points? This webinar features Erica Smith, Former VAWP Training Attorney, discussing how to score a CSC case based on a fact pattern similar to those you may see in your cases. The discussion will also include caselaw you can use to support your scoring arguments on these important and complicated cases. This webinar first aired on 10/11/2019.