Criminal Law: The Different Faces of Justice

This episode corresponds with the Criminal Law issue of The Houston Lawyer magazine and considers criminal law from different perspectives. It includes interviews with the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas (S.D.Tex.), a Harris County Judge who presides over one of the criminal specialty courts in Harris County, the CEO of a Houston nonprofit agency that provides criminal defense and services for those who cannot afford a lawyer, and a former U.S. Attorney for the S.D. Tex. who became a criminal defense attorney after his public service career. It also includes a wellness break about the wellness initiatives being offered at South Texas College of Law-Houston (STCL).

Segment One: Confronting Gang Violence in Houston
Featuring U.S. Attorney for the S.D. Tex., Mr. Alamdar Hamdani. 
First, from the prosecution perspective, Mr. Alamdar Hamdani, the new U.S. Attorney for the S.D. Tex. (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/meet-us-attorney), discusses how his office works with other agencies to combat gang violence in Houston.

Segment Two: Restoring Competency: The Harris County Competency Restoration Court
Featuring the Hon. Lori Chambers-Gray
Second, we hear from the Hon. Lori Chambers-Gray about how the Harris County Competency Restoration Court works with criminal defendants who are incompetent to stand trial.

Wellness Break: South Texas College of Law - Houston Ensures Students Have the Wellness Tools They Need for Learning and Practicing Law
Featuring Dean Michael Barry, Lyndsay Garmond-Duvernay (STCL Senior Director of Student Support), and Jazmine Rivera (STCL Student Support Specialist)
Dean Barry, along with key wellness staff members Ms. Lyndsay Garland-Durvernay and Ms. Jazmine Rivera, talk about how they are prioritizing wellness and teaching their students to advocate for themselves. See https://www.stcl.edu/student-academic-affairs/wellness/ for more about STCL's wellness initiatives.

Segment Three: Restoring Justice with a Holistic Approach to Criminal Defense
Featuring Drew Willey (Founder & CEO of Restorying Justice, https://www.restoringjustice.org/), Interviewed by Rachael Thompson (Associate, Winston & Strawn, and Podcast Committee Member)
Mr. Drew Willey speaks with guest interviewer Rachael Thompson about why there is a need for a holistic approach to criminal defense for those who cannot afford adequate representation and how his organization is attempting to provide the services these individuals need.

Segment Four: From Public Service to Private Practice and Prosecution to Defense
Featuring Former S.D. Tex. U.S. Attorney (1999-2001)  Mervyn Mosbacker, Jr. (https://mosbacker.law/), Interviewed by Mark P. Yablon (Yablon Law, PLLC, and Podcast Committee Member)
Mr. Mervyn Mosbacker, Jr., who was the U.S. Attorney for the S.D. Tex. from 1999 to 2001, talks to guest interviewer Mark Yablon about his path to becoming the U.S. Attorney for the S.D. Tex. and his transition from that role to a successful criminal defense practice. 

For full speaker bios, visit The Houston Lawyer (hba.org). To read The Houston Lawyer magazine, visit The Houston Lawyer_home. For more information about the Houston Bar Association, visit Houston Bar Association (hba.org).
*The views expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board or the Houston Bar Association.