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Forensic Interviewing for Attorneys

THE LAWYERS' INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC INTERVIEWING offers to attorneys a continuing education program in advocacy which adapts non-coercive criminal interrogation methods for the elicitation of information within forensic settings of depositions, jury selection, direct/ cross examination, and witness statements.

The methodologies taught within this program have been developed by lawyers who have also distinguished themselves as professional criminal interrogators.  John E. Reid was a lawyer who's innovative "Nine Steps of Criminal Interrogation" have not only become the industry standard among domestic and international law enforcement agencies but have also been favorably recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in Missouri v. Seibert (2004). Fred E. Inbau, former Director of the Chicago Police Department Crime Laboratory and John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law at Northwestern University, was co-author of the seminal text "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions" which was similarly favorably recognized in Seibert. Paul D. Newey was an attorney, intelligence operative, and criminal investigator spanning the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and the Cook County States Attorney's Office. The instructor for this program, Philip A. Mullenix, is himself a practicing Chicago attorney who received his training in the tradecraft of interrogation from each of these accomplished lawyers.

The techniques taught within the Lawyers' Institute of Forensic Interviewing are fundamentals of field interrogation which are used by America's intelligence community and law enforcement agencies. Those principles have now been integrated with rules of evidence, discovery, and trial practice for their forensic application by attorneys in the search for truth and justice. 

Our challenge is to those lawyers who think beyond traditional boundaries. It is they who will benefit most from the Lawyers' Institute of Forensic Interviewing.  

  Specific Topics Addressed At The Seminar:

 Advanced behavior assessment interviewing techniques designed to elicit information in a non coercive manner from adverse, hostile, or reluctant witnesses during formal statements, depositions and trial testimony.  

 Principles of verbal, vocal and nonverbal behavior symptom analysis to discern truth from deception.

Analysis of statutory and common law guidelines, including rules of evidence and criminal/ civil procedure, governing the forensic use of interrogation techniques within witness interviews, depositions and trial testimony.  

  Agencies Participating In This Training Seminar Include:

  • State of Texas Attorney General's Office
  • State of Virginia Attorney General's Office
  • State of Illinois Attorney General's Office
  • United States Department of State
  • United States Department of Homeland Security
  • United States Department of Transportation
  • United States Department of Treasury - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
  • United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
  • United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
  • United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps

About The Presenter

PHILIP A. MULLENIX is a Chicago lawyer who has participated in thousands of criminal interrogations, including homicide, corporate espionage, securities fraud, narcotics, theft and sabotage. He has trained hundreds of law enforcement and security personnel in behavior assessment interviewing, interrogation and counter-terrorism profiling. Mullenix is the author of numerous publications on behavior assessment interviewing, domestic terrorism and tactics for the interrogation of terrorist suspects. 

During more than 20 years of law practice, Mullenix has adapted non-coercive interrogation techniques as a means of eliciting information within the forensic context of civil and criminal litigation. He maintains an active practice in the trial and appellate courts of the State of Illinois and in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Attorney Mullenix has co-authored two recent articles re the interrogation of terrorists:

An Analysis of the Confession of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad in the Development of Themes for the Interrogation of Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorist Suspects Click here for the complete article.

Interrogation Strategies for an Unconventional Extremist Enemy. Click here for the complete article. 

This CLE program is available on an in-house basis and can be arranged by contacting Julie Rock at 1-855-479-3959 or jrock@reid.com .