(LOOTPRESS) The National Crime Victim Bar Association is teaming up with three West Virginia law firms to offer free training on April 27 about how the civil justice system can help survivors and victims of crime seek justice.
National Crime Victim Bar Association Director Renée Williams will lead a panel of local and national attorneys at Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown to discuss how the civil justice system can benefit victims of crime in West Virginia. This training opportunity is ideal for law enforcement, victim advocates, service providers and others who want to learn about ways to help victims and survivors of crime.
“The civil justice system can be a powerful avenue for victims of crime to seek justice outside of criminal courts,” said Williams, who is also executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. “Victim service providers are key to raising awareness among victims about their civil justice options. While service providers are often well-versed in the intricacies of the criminal justice system, they are often unfamiliar with the civil justice system and how it can help crime victims rebuild their lives.”
This free training will provide resources to help victims and cover important topics such as special legal challenges for victims in the civil court system, including statutes of limitation, compensation and punitive damages that can be sought, appropriate roles for service providers, tips for victim advocates, and pointers on how to find the right attorneys for specific cases.
Williams will be joined by four panelists with extensive experience litigating cases in the civil justice system.
- Guy D’Andrea is chair of the Young Lawyer’s Division of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and an attorney for Laffey, Bucci & Kent in Philadelphia who has litigated over 100 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials. This former prosecutor has litigated cases involving sexual and physical assaults in institutional settings like schools and hospitals as well as cases against religious organizations that have allowed children to be abused.
- W. Jesse Forbes, of Forbes Law Offices PLLC in Charleston, has litigated a wide range of cases, including multimillion-dollar civil cases, criminal cases, child abuse and neglect proceedings.
- Scott Long, the founding partner of Charleston-based Hendrickson & Long PLLC, is a prolific civil litigator in West Virginia whose practice areas include personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, class action and toxic tort cases.
- Jeff Stewart is the managing partner of Charleston-based Stewart Bell PLLC, known as West Virginia’s largest nursing home litigation team. Stewart and his firm regularly pursue cases of elder abuse and neglect.
“The National Crime Victim Bar Association conducts regular training seminars for crime victim service providers, and we are excited to bring this training to anyone who helps victims in Morgantown and its surrounding communities,” Williams said.
This free training seminar is being held in person from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 27 at the Erickson Alumni Center at 1 Alumni Drive in Morgantown. Virtual attendance is also available. RSVP now at https://bit.ly/CJS_WV
