ODW2379 – Criminal Defense and Paralegal Investigator Collaboration: A Winning Combination

Course Materials: Webinar recording and a PDF of the PowerPoint slides.

Description: In criminal defense cases, both the paralegal and investigator assigned to a particular case are ultimately responsible for supporting the case’s attorney in their representation of a client. Though the job qualifications and descriptions for these two positions will vary across organizations, and each position’s assigned duties may differ depending on the jurisdiction or office environment, paralegal and investigator collaboration across case tasks ultimately provides the best results for the client. 

Course Year: 2023

Presenter Biography: Mary Moore is an Appellate Paralegal with the Federal Public Defender Office for the Northern District of Texas. She was previously a Senior Trial Paralegal with the Federal Public Defender Offices for the Northern District of Texas and the District of South Carolina. A Texas native, Mary received her bachelor’s degree in literary studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a Registered Paralegal through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. She resides in Dallas, Texas.

Chelsea Whittler is an investigator with the Federal Public Defender Office for the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. She has previously worked as an investigator with Federal Public Defender Offices in South Carolina, Washington, and Pennsylvania, and the Orleans Public Defenders in Louisiana. While living in Washington, Chelsea also spent two years conducting and supervising misconduct investigations at the Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA). A Michigan native, Chelsea attended Howard University in Washington, DC, before matriculating to the University of Virginia to attend law school. She resides in Providence, Rhode Island.