Forensic Psychiatry: Yale Law School

Yale Law School

Yale Law School is an accredited, highly ranked law school that graduates 175-180 lawyers per year. The law school offers a clinical program, Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization, which houses a variety of clinics where a variety of law students, under supervision represent clients. There is an immigration clinic that represents individuals seeking asylum, a prison clinic that representing inmates in state and federal prisons and a criminal clinics representing individuals charged with crimes. Yale Law School is located approximately 10 blocks from the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Forensic residents spend one 1/2 day per week for a year-long required rotation, attending classes and participating in the various legal clinics.

In class, the forensic residents receive didactics from the law faculty, Howard Zonana, MD, and other Law and Psychiatry faculty. In clinic, the forensic residents consult on immigration, prison, and criminal defendant cases presented by law students and perform evaluations when appropriate.

The Immigration Clinic sees a variety of clients with mental disorders, including PTSD and mood disorders, and other special needs related to cultural and psychological factors that relate to legal issues. The prison seminar deals with habeas corpus matters for CT inmates. Forensic residents also participate in mock trials at the Law School twice a year.

Law students in these programs have the opportunity to take full professional responsibility, under faculty supervision, for clients who cannot afford legal assistance. During the past several years, the LSO has developed ongoing programs serving inmates in state and federal correctional facilities. A child advocacy program has been funded, and the LSO also represents children and parents in a variety of civil and criminal situations. The clinic has several other divisions including Poverty, Prison and Housing programs. Several cases in which our residents have provided consultation have been argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Primary supervisors at the law school are Howard Zonana, MD and Stephen Wizner, JD, Brett Dignam JD, Carroll Lucht JD, Ron Sullivan JD, Jean Koh Peters and Bandy Lee, MD. Finally, forensic residents may elect to participate in the Poverty, Homelessness and Juvenile Clinics as psychiatric consultants.

A significant source of the flexibility in the program and the breadth and depth of training experience is based on the wide variety of supervised clinical and legal settings in which the residents are immersed. Each resident is assigned to a primary clinical forensic treatment setting and to a primary law office in which the resident provides consultation. The placements are described in the next several pages.

Legal Placement

State Attorney's Office - New Haven Judicial District
Michael Dearington JD, Chief State Attorney

The New Haven State Attorney's Office is located in the New Haven Courthouse, approximately 1 mile from Yale-New Haven Hospital and Connecticut Mental Health Center. One resident spends one half day per week for their fellowship year in this required rotation. In this position, the resident is a medical consultant for the 28 attorneys who staff the office. Medical and psychiatric issues are presented to the resident. Evaluations including insanity defenses, pre-sentencing evaluations and dangerousness assessments arise from this experience. Residents may also observe voir dire and trials in progress. Attorney Dearington is the primary faculty member in the New Haven office. Supervision for consultations is provided in individual and group supervision at Connecticut Mental Health Center.

State Attorney's Office - Ansonia/Milford Judicial District
Kevin Lawlor JD, State Attorney

The Milford State Attorney's Office is located in the Ansonia/Milford Superior Court building, approximately 15 miles from Yale-New Haven Hospital and Connecticut Mental Health Center. One resident spends one half day per week in this year-long required rotation. In this rotation, the resident consults on psychiatric issues in the context of child abuse cases, pro se cases, insanity defenses, pre-sentencing issues, forced medication hearings, dangerousness issues and other criminal situations. Residents may also observ voir dire and trials in progress. The resident works with a faculty of 8 attorneys. Kevin Lawlor, State Attorney, has overall responsibility for the resident. Additional supervision is accomplished in the individual and group supervisions at Connecticut Mental Health Center.

Superior Court for Juvenile Matters - New Haven
Cathleen Edwards, Supervising Junenile Prosecutor

The New Haven Superior Court for Juvenile matters is located approximately 1-1/2 miles from Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Connecticut Mental Health Center. One forensic resident spends half a day per week in this year-long required rotation. The resident serves as medical and psychiatric consultant for three prosecuting attorneys on issues relating to family with special needs, neglect, pre-adjudication issues, competency, dangerousness issues and other delinquency situations. The resident may also observe adjudications and trials in progress. The primary faculty member is Cathleen Edwards, Supervising Juvenile Prosecutor. Supervision for the consultations is provided in individual and group supervision at the Connecticut Mental Health Center.

Federal Public Defender's Office - New Haven
Paul Thomas JD, Assistant Federal Public Defender

The Federal Public Defender's Office is located approximately 1-1/2 miles from the Connecticut Mental Health Center. One forensic resident spends approximately one-half day per week in a year long rotation. The resident provides consultations to attorneys on a variety of medical and psychiatric issues pertaining to the criminal cases at the Federal Public Defender's Office. The resident observes different aspects of the criminal justice process, e.g. jury selection, sentencing and expert witness testimony. A special feature of this placement is performing pre-sentence evaluations for federal "downward departure" hearings. Other types of evaluations include competency and various criminal responsibility issues. Paul Thomas JD is the primary site supervisor. Additional supervision is provided in individual and group supervision at CMHC.

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