Battered Woman Syndrome: Navigating Defense Strategies in Criminal and Family Law Cases
Elisa Reiter is a highly experienced Texas family lawyer, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Family Law and Child Welfare Law.
2 hour CLE
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Program Summary
Battered Woman Syndrome (“BWS”) a form of PTSD, is characterized by anxiety, hypervigilance, and learned helplessness. Battered women have suffered waves of abuse – including a three-phase cycle of tension building, violent outbursts by their attacker, and repeated reconciliations with their abuser. In criminal cases, BWS can support claims of self-defense by explaining the abused woman’s reasonable fear of imminent danger. In family law cases, BWS can impact custody decisions and divorce proceedings, particularly where there is evidence of coercive control not only of “mom” but of that abuse occurring in the presence of the parties’ minor children. Elisa Reiter’s seminar will cover all this and more.
Key topics to be discussed:
- Definition and scope
- Expert testimony and legal application
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Perspective, treatment and more
Closed-captioning available
Speakers
Elisa Reiter | Calabrese Budner
Elisa Reiter is a highly experienced Texas family lawyer, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Family Law and Child Welfare Law. With decades of experience in complex family law litigation, she is known as a “powerhouse at the courthouse.” Elisa has an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell, and has been recognized as a SuperLawyer for many years. She frequently shares her expertise through publications in nationally recognized periodicals, with over 150 articles in Texas Lawyer, New York Law Journal, Daily Business Review, National Law Journal, and other prominent journals. In addition to her practice, Elisa has served on and chaired the Texas Family Law Exam Commission and taught family law as an adjunct professor at SMU. A frequent presenter for lawyers and mental health professionals, she is honored to present for myLawCLE.
Agenda
I. Definition and scope | 2:00pm – 2:30pm
II. Recent Court Decisions and Regulatory Guidance | 2:30pm – 3:00pm
Break | 3:00pm – 3:10pm
III. Assessment and diagnosis | 3:10pm – 3:40pm
IV. Perspective, treatment and more | 3:40pm – 4:10pm
Preview
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