Dog Bite Law Unleashed: Civil and Criminal Dimensions
Total Credits: 2.5 CLE, 1.75 Criminal Law Specialization, 1 Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation Specialization
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- Categories:
- Animal Law | Criminal Litigation | Personal Injury Law
- Faculty:
- Matthew Dale Jefferson | Joy Parker | Matthew F Schmidt | Lori Ann Zucco | Sara L Dent
- Co-Sponsored by:
- The State Bar of Arizona Animal Law Section
Description
Dog bite cases present unique challenges for practitioners, touching on issues of liability, damages, defenses, and criminal responsibility. This program explores both the civil and criminal aspects of dog bite law, providing practical guidance for attorneys representing victims, defendants, or those prosecuting these cases.
Civil Perspective:
- identifying all possible defendants,
- finding insurance coverage,
- using animal control laws to the plaintiff's advantage,
- special issues with child victims, and
- practical strategies to maximize recovery.
Criminal Perspective (Prosecution & Defense):
- violations of leash and dangerous dog ordinances,
- reckless or negligent conduct,
- misdemeanor and felony charges,
- aggravating factors such as attacks on vulnerable individuals,
- challenging intent,
- mitigating charges, and
- key procedural considerations.
Faculty
Matthew Jefferson, Schill Law Group
Joy Parker, Schill Law Group
Matthew Schmidt, Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian
Lori Zucco, Cochise County Attorney's Office
Chairperson
Sara Dent, Yavapai County Public Defender
Faculty
Matthew F Schmidt Related Seminars and Products
Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian
Matthew Schmidt is a partner at Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian, a plaintiff's firm in Tucson, Arizona focused on complex personal injury law. Matt graduated from the James E Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona and passed the Arizona bar exam in 2010. Matt's primary interest in law focuses on general personal injury, insurance bad faith and police misconduct. Matt was honored as one of Tucson's 40 under 40 by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star in 2014. In addition to serving his clients, Matt is president of the Engage Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free, fun and underrated recreational activities to underprivileged kids. Matt is a certified Wellness Coach, teaching the legal and general community about stress management; He writes a column called "Mind your Mind" in the Writ, the Pima County Bar Association Newsletter. In May 2011, Matt won 2nd place in the Arizona Attorney's creative arts competition for his fictional piece "The Taker." In June 2010, Matt and his dad (Ted Schmidt) co-authored "Taking the 'Strict' Out of Products Liability Law," a feature article in the Arizona Attorney. Together, they also co-authored multiple sections of the Products Liability chapter of the 2012 Arizona Tort Law Handbook published by the State Bar of Arizona. In law school, Matt served as a legal extern for Senator Jon Kyl in Washington D.C. on the Judiciary Committee for the subcommittee of Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security in the Fall of 2008. He won the Andrew Silverman Law Student Community Service Award in the 2009-2010 for his leadership on the Community Service Board and orchestration of several community service events for law students to participate in. When he is not practicing law, writing or traveling, Matt enjoys participating in or watching just about any sporting event. Matt also enjoys staying active in the community and spends lots of time growing Engage.
Lori Ann Zucco Related Seminars and Products
Lori Zucco began her legal career in Tucson after graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1996. After a brief stint in private practice, she served as a City of Tucson Deputy Public Defender for seven years. In 2004 she answered an ad for a “Prosecutor in Paradise” and moved to the Republic of Palau in Micronesia, where she served as an Assistant Attorney General for four years.
In 2009 she made her way to Bisbee and joined the Cochise County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney in the felony General Crimes Unit. In 2018 she was promoted to Chief Criminal Deputy.
Sara L Dent Related Seminars and Products
Legal Defender
Yavapai County Public Defender
is an animal advocate and former prosecutor for the City of Tucson, who is currently employed by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe as a Public Defender. Through her employment with the Tribe, she collaborated closely with the tribal prosecutor to create a progressive new animal section of the Tribal Code. In addition to her day job, she is also an adjunct professor at the U of A law school, teaching Animal Law whenever the class fills; is a member of the Southern Arizona Animal Cruelty Task Force; acts as a board member of three different non-profit's that focus on bully breed rescue and advocacy, with a focus on education and responsible dog ownership regardless of breed; actively volunteers with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona with her two pit bull type therapy dogs; is a member of a committee tasked with getting an anti-puppy mill piece of legislation passed in Tucson; is a member of a committee that provides free spay/neuter/vaccination services on a large scale to the local community; was recently invited to help teach law enforcement about effective investigation of animal cruelty from a prosecutors perspective; and is an active member of the local animal advocate community in southern Arizona, speaking publicly to help educate the community on issues like breed specific/discriminatory legislation and mandatory spay/neuter laws whenever asked to. Sara lives in Tucson and shares her life with her four rescue pit bull type dogs, and one pig that she sponsors at the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary in Red Rock, AZ. In her spare time she makes custom dog (and cat) pillows to donate to other non-profit rescues for online auction fundraisers. 11/15