- This event has passed.
Webinar: Victims of Domestic Violence – The Justice System Working to Make a Difference
March 15 @ 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
This program will focus on how attorneys and pro bono providers as well as the institutions they support, can better help victims of domestic violence. This topic is in line with the UN CSW’s overall priority and review themes this year, ’empowering women and girls by . . . strengthening institutions . . . and offering social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls . . ..” We’ll be focused on concerns about domestic violence which are particularly acute in specific vulnerable populations, including migrant and tribal communities. In order to raise awareness about these areas of concern and offer solutions, our program will propose education, training, and pro bono legal representation as a means of strengthening institutional responses to this gap in accessing justice.
The purpose of our panel of experts, judges, and legal practitioners will be to explore the social protection systems which exist and discuss how we can improve access to public services as well as how the court infrastructure can provide better support and empowerment. The program will identify many of the factors that increase the vulnerability of this population, and is primarily intended for policymakers, lawmakers, and practitioners from criminal and immigration justice systems, including lawyers, prosecutors, judges.
Presented by the Judiciary Division and the International Law Section
Registration has closed
About the Presenters
Hon. Bernadette D’Souza, Family Court Judge of Civil District Court in New Orleans.
Judge Bernadette D’Souza is the first Family Court Judge of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans and the first Asian-American Judge for the State of Louisiana. She served as Chief Judge of Civil District Court in 2021 and 2022. Prior to her election to the judiciary, Judge D’Souza dedicated her legal career to public interest law representing indigent clients in family law, housing, and domestic violence for over 18 years, many as Managing Attorney of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.
Judge D’Souza received her Juris Doctorate from Tulane University School of Law in 1992. After graduation, she spent over a decade promoting awareness to family and domestic violence issues by devoting time to educating and supervising law students. Judge D’Souza was an adjunct law professor at Tulane Law School and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Loyola University College of Law. She currently serves on the Faculty of the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. In addition, Judge D’Souza participates in numerous other speaking engagements including continuing legal education programs for the Louisiana State Bar and New Orleans Bar Associations.
As a member of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ), Judge D’Souza was elected to the Board of NAWJ as District Director. She served as Secretary and Chair of the Personnel Committee and in 2019, was elected President of NAWJ.
Internationally, Judge D’Souza was invited by the U.S. State Department INL Office, to be a speaker at the “Role of Women in Justice” Conference, in Yerevan, Armenia. She also presented at a panel discussion on “Integrated Domestic Violence Courts” at the United Nations Convention on Status of Women in New York. At the invitation from His Holiness Pope Francis, Judge D’Souza presented on Equal Access to Justice at the First Pan-American Judges Summit and was a speaker again at the Summit for African and Pan-American Judges at the Vatican. She was a Keynote Speaker at the International Association of Women Judges Human Rights Conference of the International Society of Family Law, held in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and due to Covid-19 gave a virtual keynote address at the opening of the International Association of Women Judges Conference (IAWJ) in New Zealand. More recently, she moderated a panel on Trauma Informed Courts at the IAWJ Conference in Marrakech, Morocco and was then invited as a speaker to the Seoul Family Court International Conference in Seoul Korea.
Judge D’Souza is the recipient of several prominent awards for her professional and personal commitment to the community, including the Distinguished Jurist Award from the New Orleans Pro Bono Project, City Business Icon Award to mark New Orleans’ 300th Anniversary honoring 20 leaders for their energy, innovative ideas, achievements, and commitment to excellence. For her outstanding leadership in promoting the vision, core values and mission of National Association of Women Judges, Judge D’Souza received the NAWJ Leadership Award and for her leadership in improving the legal response to domestic violence, the American Judges Association bestowed on her the 2023 Judge Libby Hines Domestic Violence Award.
Judge D’Souza and her late husband Dr. Terence D’Souza were married for 41 years. They are proud parents and grandparents of three children and four grandsons.
Carolyn Hammer, Rule of Law Adviser, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Carolyn Hammer is a Rule of Law Adviser at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In this role, she helps to develop and implement a range of bilateral and multilateral technical assistance and capacity-building activities to support the 57 OSCE participating States in upholding their rule of law related commitments. Her work focuses, in particular, on judicial independence and accountability, and administrative justice.
Judge Amy J. Pierce, Presiding District Court Judge, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma District Court
Judge Amy Pierce is currently the Presiding District Court Judge for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the third largest tribe in the United States. At the time of her appointment in 2022, she was the first full time district court judge and first female district court judge appointed to the Choctaw Nation District Court. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Amy worked as a civil litigator in federal and state courts around the country and served as a mediator and arbitrator in hundreds of civil disputes. She earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Oklahoma City University after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications from Oklahoma State University. Judge Pierce is a graduate of Harvard Negotiation Institute program through the Harvard Law School. She was voted a “Top 25 Women in Law” recipient in the State of Oklahoma by Super Lawyers and has also been recognized in the U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers and Chambers publications for her work in the areas of employment law. Since taking the bench, Amy has handled civil, criminal, protective order and juvenile dockets. She is currently the chair for the Tribal Judges subcommittee of the Judiciary Division of the Federal Bar Association, the chair of the Intertribal Judicial Subcommittee and has held leadership positions with the Oklahoma County and Choctaw Nation Bar Associations. She also previously served on the boards of the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation and Angels Family Foster Network. Amy is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation.
Tracy Prior, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Office of the San Diego County District Attorney
Tracy currently serves as a Chief Deputy District Attorney and the Chief Operating Officer for a 44,000 square foot Family Justice Center called One Safe Place, a one-stop-shop for victims and survivors of abuse and trauma. Tracy has enjoyed a 27-year career as a public prosecutor trying over 75 cases to verdict, including murder, child sexual assault, rape, arson, stalking, and domestic violence cases. Tracy teaches and trains in various topics including teaching leadership courses for Attorney General Alliance-Africa, and recently taught technocrats in Zambia and Kenya. Tracy was instrumental in the development of San Diego County’s Strangulation Protocol which has increased awareness and response to non-lethal strangulation by intimate partners. In 2022, Tracy testified as a subject matter expert before the California Assembly Public Safety Committee regarding legislation that would help domestic violence victims receive forensic examinations, and was a contributor to a US Department of Justice thinktank regarding preventing gender-bias in gender-based violence. In 2018, Tracy testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee as an expert on Domestic Violence Best practices for the hearing involving reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Tracy serves on the Board of Directors for the Buddy Bowl, a non-profit that hosts flag-tournaments to raise money for wounded warriors and first responders, and the California District Attorney’s Association. Tracy received the National District Attorney’s Association “Presidents Award” for her work in Child Abuse, and a lifetime achievement award from the San Diego Domestic Violence Council. Tracy has been married 27 years and her biggest accomplishments are her two boys, ages 16 and 14.
Mimi Tsankov, President, National Association of Immigration Judges (Invited)
DISCLAIMER: The invited presenter is the President of the National Association of Immigration Judges. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the official position of the United States Department of Justice, the Attorney General, or the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The views represent the presenter’s personal opinions, which were formed after extensive consultation with the membership of NAIJ.
Judith Wood, Attorney, Human Rights Project
Judith Wood has defended the rights of asylum seekers since graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law, and has had her own law firm since 1984. She has won numerous appeals at the administrative and federal level, and is admitted to practice before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits, as well as the Supreme Court. She has chaired the section’s International Human Rights Law section for several years, and is a frequent speaker for the FBA, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Asian-Pacific Law Center, and several other groups. A film entitled “St. Judy” was made about her advocacy on behalf of women refugees in 2018.
Registration
Registration has closed
Registration for this event will close on Thursday, March 14 at 12:30 PM EDT.
Registration Fees
- Complimentary for FBA Members & Non-Members
Live Captioning: Closed captioning is available for all virtual webcasts.
Internet Requirements: Virtual programs require suitable internet strength to stream online panels. A minimum internet connection of 800 Kbps is recommended for an optimal attendee experience. Test your connection here.
CLE
Please note CLE will not be offered for this event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I access the virtual webinar?
A: Each webinar will have a unique link to watch the live broadcast. Registered attendees will receive login instructions via a calendar invitations 24 hours prior to the webinar.
Q: Will recordings of the sessions be available after the event?
A: Approved sessions will be available for registrants to view live and on-demand following the webinar.
Q: Who do I contact for more information?
A: Please contact sections@fedbar.org for any other questions.
Email Communication Policy
By registering for this event, you agree to receive email communication from the Federal Bar Association and affiliated sponsors of the program concerning event details, Continuing Legal Education certification, programming changes, upcoming events, surveys, and post-event communications.
Recording Disclaimer
By registering for an online FBA program, you agree to the recording of audio and visual content presented during the live event and consent to subsequent use of the recording by the FBA. You agree that the recording is the sole property of the FBA and that the recording may be used by the FBA in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion. This recording may include questions and poll responses provided by you during the live event. If you do not consent to the recording and the FBA’s use of the same, do not register for the event.
If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Daniel Hamilton, Program Coordinator, at sections@fedbar.org
