Agenda Faculty Register Online
Program Summary:
Presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine and If/When/How, this program represents a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary training focused specifically on pregnancy loss cases at the intersection of medicine and criminal prosecution. As medical documentation and clinical judgment increasingly appear in criminal proceedings, legal and medical professionals must understand how their work intersects long before a charge is filed. This two-day program brings criminal defense attorneys together with clinicians and medical students to examine how pregnancy-related cases move from chart to courtroom — and how earlier alignment across professions can help protect both patients and clients.
Participants will engage in joint plenary sessions, structured trial-skills exercises, and focused breakout discussions designed to:
• Examine how medical records and clinical decision-making become legal evidence
• Explore the ethical boundaries of medical testimony
• Strengthen trial strategy in medically complex cases
• Address evolving evidentiary and procedural challenges
• Promote responsible documentation and patient-centered care in high-risk environments
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for professionals whose work intersects with pregnancy-related care and criminal legal exposure, including criminal defense attorneys, public defenders, OB/GYNs, prenatal care providers, emergency physicians, medical students, residents, and health advocates.
Whether approaching these issues from the perspective of patient care or client defense, participants will learn how clinical documentation and medical testimony are interpreted in criminal proceedings and how to defend cases.
LOCATION: Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
DATE: May 22-23
TIME: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm ET
COST: FREE (registration is required)
CLE: Pending
CME: Pending
Hotel Block: Details Coming Soon
Agenda
The program agenda and faculty are subject to change.
| Friday, May 22, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am | Registration & Welcome | |
| 9:00 am | Pregnancy Loss Cases at the Intersection of Medicine and Criminal Law | |
| 10:15 am | Break | |
| 10:30 am | From Chart to Courtroom — Medical Documentation as Evidence | |
| 11:45 am | Lunch Break | |
| 12:45 pm | Expert Testimony in Pregnancy-Related Cases | |
| 1:45 pm | Break | |
| Trial Skills Lab (Limited Participation) | Clinician Breakout Track | |
| 2:00 pm | Direct Examination Lecture and breakout (15-minute rotations) | Pregnancy Is Not a Crime: Clinical Roles in Criminalized Environments |
| 3:30 pm | Break | |
| 3:45 pm | Direct Examination Lab (continued rotations) | Substance Use, Self-Managed Care & Patient-Centered Counseling |
| 5:00 pm | Joint Debrief: Lessons from Day One |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am | Challenging Medical Evidence | |
| 10:00 am | Break | |
| Trial Skills Lab (Limited Participation) | Clinician Breakout Track | |
| 10:15 am | Cross Examination Lab (15-minute rotations) | History, Policy & Structural Context |
| 11:45 am | Break | |
| 12:00 pm | Cross Examination Lab (continued rotations) | Advocacy, Bias & Community Collaboration |
| 1:15 pm | Lunch break | |
| Clinician Breakout Track | Attorney Breakout Track | |
| 2:15 pm | Clinical Documentation, Risk & Professional Boundaries | Digital Forensics & Phone Extractions |
| 3:15 pm | Break | |
| 3:30 pm | Ethical Reflection & Clinical Leadership | Litigation Strategy & Case Development |
| 5:00 pm | Closing Joint Reflections |
Faculty
- Lisa Wayne, Executive Director, NACDL
- Yveka Pierre, Associate Director of Litigation, If When How
- Jerilyn Bell, Senior Trial Attorney, Georgia Capital Defender's Office
- Kevann Gardner, K. Gardner Law
- Laurie Shanks, Clinical Professor of Law, Emerita, Albany Law
- Sara Ainsworth, Chief Legal and Policy Director, If When How
- Lauren Paulk, Senior Research Counsel, If When How
- Dominique Winters, Chief of the Trial Division, Public Defender Service
- Molly Hiland Parmer, NACDL Board Member, Parmer Law
- Dr. Marissa Lapedis, Morehouse School of Medicine
- Dr. Nicole R. Jackson, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pathology and the Director of Autopsy & After Death Services for UW-Medicine Hospitals
- Dr. Mishka Terplan, M.D., M.P.H., FACOG, DFASAM, Medical Director/Senior Research Scientist, Friends Research Institute
- Dr. Kima Taylor, Managing Principal at Anka Consulting LLC
- Dr. Natalie Hernandez, Executive Director of Center for Maternal Health Equity and Department of OB/GYN and Community and Preventative Health
- Dr. Renee McLeod-Sordjan, Founding Dean of Nursing School
- Lauren Nunnally – Director of Clinical Transformation Strategy
- Dr. Angela Richard-Eaglin - Sr Associate Dean & Chief of Clinical and Academic Education
- LaTonya Sallad – Program Director for Master of Administration in Justice Involved Care, NCPC African American Behavioral Health Center for Excellence
Code of Conduct
NACDL endeavors to foster a working, learning, and social environment free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and insult. To that end, NACDL has adopted a Code of Conduct for Affiliated Persons that applies to all attendees and participants of any kind at all NACDL sponsored events.
Learn More