Description & Objectives

Continuing Education Hours: 1 CE for LPC, SW, LMFT, and Psychologists - NBCC Approved

Description: At each juncture of the legal process survivors of gender violence must trust other people to provide them with information that greatly impacts their lives. Survivors often have questions that remain unanswered during their journey through the legal system. This presentation is given directly to survivors by former prosecutor and professor Demetrice M. Lopez to aid survivors in their understanding of how the court system operates and the rights available to them during the process. This presentation includes a Q & A that provides survivors an opportunity to ask general questions about the criminal legal system in the United States. 

Learning Objectives:

  • To understand the legal process survivors of gender violence go through and the role of various individuals involved in the process. 
  • To gain knowledge about the rights available to survivors during the legal process. 
  • To learn about the criminal legal system in the United States. 
  • To have the opportunity to ask general questions about the legal process and criminal system in order to clarify any doubts or uncertainties.

Instructor

Demetrice Lopez-Loftis

Demetrice Lopez-Loftis is a law professor, practicing attorney, consultant, and former prosecutor specializing in gender violence law. For nearly a decade, Demetrice represented the State of Texas in the prosecution of violent offenders for intimate partner violence, intimate partner homicide, capital murder, sexual assault, sex trafficking, stalking, and other offenses. Demetrice was a founding member of Tarrant County’s Domestic Violence High Risk Team and led Tarrant County’s Adult Fatality Review Team where she and other experts worked to identify gaps in the legal system, correct systemic issues, and drive policy change.