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: Up to 12.5 credits (where approved)
CME: Pending
Hotel Block: Details Coming Soon

Agenda

The program agenda and faculty are subject to change.

Friday, May 22, 2026
8:00 am	Registration & Welcome
9:00 am	Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Abortion at the Intersection of Medicine and Criminal Law
10:15 am	Break
10:30 am	Medical Documentation & Serving as a Medical Expert in Pregnancy-Related Criminal Case
11:30 am	Lunch Break
	ATTORNEY TRACK	CLINICIAN TRACK
12:45 pm	Direct Examination of Medical Experts (Lecture & Demo)	Abortion Care 101 Cultural Humility & Unconscious Bias Dr. Angela Richard-Eaglin Local Policy & On-the-Ground Realities
2:00 pm	Direct Examination Lab Continued	Medical Ethics: Reproductive Autonomy Abortion Access & Reproductive Justice
3:00 pm	Break
3:15 pm	Direct Examination Lab (Applied Practice)	Substance Use & Pregnancy: Policies to Support Patients *Self-Managed Abortion* Interdisciplinary Q&A (Legal for Clinicians)
5:00 pm	Day 1 Reflections & Key Takeaways Lisa Wayne, Dr. Mishka Terplan

Saturday, May 23, 2026
	ATTORNEY TRACK	CLINICIAN TRACK
9:00 am	Forensic Pathology and Medical Evidence in Pregnancy-Related Cases	Oppressive Policies that Impact Patients – How Do We Rewrite Policy?
10:15 am	Break
10:30 am	Cross-Examination of Medical Experts (Lecture & Demo)	Caring for Justice-Impacted Patients Youth Access to Abortion
11:30 am	Break
11:45 am	Cross-Examination Lab (Applied Practice)	Values Clarification & Bias – Addressing Bias in Clinical and Legal care ICE, Police, State Surveillance & Patient Protections
12:45 pm	Lunch break
1:45 pm	*Appellate Litigation Strategy*	Post-Dobbs Practice Changes and Patient Impact Safe Abortion: The role of medical and legal hotlines, funding & other advocacy groups
2:45 pm	Break
3:00 pm	Joint Reflections: Visions and Strategies for a Liberatory Future
4:00 pm	Seminar Concludes

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
Limayli Huguet, Esq., Helpline Counsel for 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. Elizabeth Chiarello, Associate Professor of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis
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

Hotel

Seminar Venue:
Morehouse School of Medicine
720 Westview Drive
Atlanta, GA 30310

Hotel Accommodations:
The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
127 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

Online Reservations: Book Your room at the Candler Hotel
Group Rate: $179 + tax (expires April 30, 2026)
Rooms/discounted group rates are not guaranteed once the block has been filled.

Scholarships

Travel reimbursement scholarships are now available for public defenders and solo practitioners practicing in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. These reimbursements cover travel and lodging and are provided after attendance at the program. Awards will be made on a rolling basis. Please contact Monica Milton at mmilton@nacdl.org to receive additional information.

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.

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