Understanding toxicological testing is becoming a necessary part of many legal practices. The goal of this training is to assist attorneys in learning how to read lab reports, interpret results, contest opposing counsel’s claims, read relevant scientific literature, and ultimately know when and how to consult with an expert. These skills are becoming more and more vital to the success of many cases in adult criminal or juvenile courts, child custody or other care and protection cases, violation of probation hearings, or other legal matters involving drug or alcohol evidence. The program focuses on addressing the testing of urine to monitor for drug and alcohol use, as well as the potential for more specialized testing of other sample types (hair, saliva, sweat, etc), along with the use of testing to claim impairment in other cases. The program includes a section on the legalization of marijuana and how that can affect legal cases.
Gaining this basic familiarity with the language of toxicological testing will allow an attorney to more accurately assess the allegations in their case and gauge the weight of relevant scientific evidence that can be brought into the court—resulting in enhanced research of specific issues and improved drafting of relevant motions and in asking for additional discovery.
Join our experts as we look at the fields of analytical chemistry, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and statistics, and their roles in both criminal and care and protection cases. Learn how to evaluate the evidence, know when to obtain and use your own experts, and practical litigation tips.
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