Evidentiary Issues in California Civil Domestic Violence Cases (Audio Only)

This one-and-a-half hour program will cover various evidence issues that commonly arise in California family law cases involving domestic violence and how to overcome those challenges in order to successfully present evidence to the court.

Kemi Mustapha, a staff attorney from Bay Area Legal Aid's family law practice will provide practical pointers on presenting persuasive victim-witness testimony, strategies on getting specific documents and testimony admitted into evidence over objections, and advice on handling discovery issues in a civil proceeding while there is a pending criminal case.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss common myths and misconceptions regarding survivors' testimony in civil domestic violence cases
2. Develop strategies for competently representing survivors who are experiencing trauma
3. Identify when prior bad acts and propensity evidence, including criminal convictions, can be admitted into evidence in domestic violence cases
4. Review step-by-step procedures for getting medical records, official records, and foreign language-documents admitted into evidence
5. Overcome People v. Sanchez objections to expert witness testimony
6. Gain successful strategies for authenticating electronic evidence, including social media evidence
7. Examine when and how to assert client's Marsy's Law rights when discovery is propounded in domestic violence cases
8. Determine when to stay discovery and civil proceedings because of pending criminal case