• Criminal Defense Law
• DUI and Traffic Law
• Trial Litigation
• Appellate Litigation
  

• Guardianship Law
• Probate Law
• Trusts and Estate Law
• Family Law
• Property Law

AWARDS AND HONORS

Teaching Excellence Award, Southern Illinois University (University Level Award – Permanent Distinguished Teacher Recognition, Non-Tenure Track Faculty), 2017

National Outstanding Young Lawyer Finalist, American Bar Association, 2016

Young Lawyer of the Year Award, Illinois State Bar Association (Down-State Award), 2015

Outstanding Teacher Award, Southern Illinois University (College of Liberal Arts, Non-Tenure Track Faculty), 2015

American Bar Association Appellate Competition (Washington D.C.), 2008

• Competition Finalist
• Fifth Best Appellate Brief Award

Southern Illinois University School of Law Appellate Competition, 2006

• Moot Court Champion Award
• Best Appellate Oralist Award
• Best Appellate Brief Award

PUBLICATIONS

Legal Journal Articles

• Time’s Up: Evaluating the Effect of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Illinois Speedy Trial Act, Southern Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 47, 2023
• Tuning the Moral Compass: The Evolving Standards of Sentencing Juvenile Criminal Defendants as Adults, Southern Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 44, 2020
• Commentator: Jailhouse Talk, Rhys Saunders, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 107, No. 2, 2019
• Reasons to Doubt: An Undefined Standard of Proof, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 106, No. 7, 2018
• Pandora’s Box: The Predicament of Incarcerating Mentally Ill Defendants in the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Bar Criminal Justice Newsletter, Vol. 62, No. 2, 2018
• Fit to Be Tied: Unraveling the Mysterious Knots of Fitness Proceedings for Criminal Defendants, Illinois Bar Criminal Justice Newsletter, Vol. 61, No. 3, 2018
• Plain and Simple: The Illinois Supreme Court Provides Clarity for the Burglary Statute, Illinois Bar Association Criminal Justice Newsletter, Vol. 61, No. 1, 2017
• Batson Revisited: Exploring Racial Bias in Contemporary Jury Selection, Illinois Bar Association Racial and Ethnic Minorities Newsletter, Vol. 27, No. 2, 2017
• Final Words: A Sentencing Hearing Guide for Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 104, No. 5, 2016
• When “Or” means “And”: A Trap for Criminal Appeals, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 103, No. 5, 2015

Books

• Chapter: Preventing and Treating the Invisible Wounds of War: Expected Mental Health Care Costs of Military Involvement (Textbook: Chapter 1), Oxford University Press, 2023; Co-Authors: Justice McDaniel, Kevin Sylwewter, Rick Stapel, and David L. Albright

Published Legal Precedent

• People v. Barnes, 2018 IL App (5th) 140378.
• People v. Garner, 2018 IL App (5th) 150236.
• People v. Garcia, 2012 IL App (2d) 100656.
• People v. Watson, 2012 IL App (2d) 091328.
• People v. Richardson, 2011 IL App (5th) 090663.
• People v. Sinegal, 409 Ill. App. 3d 1130 (5th Dist. 2011).

PRESENTATIONS

• New Cases on the Block: Pending Decisions and Recent Precedent in Criminal Law, Jackson County Bar Association, 2019
• Final Words: A Sentencing Hearing Guide for Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys, Jackson County Bar Association, 2018
• Using Ordinary Technology in Extraordinary Ways for your Practice, Illinois State Bar Association, 2017
• An Advocate’s Craft: Utilizing PowerPoint for Modern Litigation, Illinois State Bar Association, 2016
• Encountering Clients with Mental Health Issues, Illinois State Bar Association, 2016
• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Utilizing PowerPoint for Trials, Jackson and Williamson County Bar Associations 2013

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Jackson County Bar Association

• President: 2017 – 2018
• Vice-President: 2016 – 2017

Illinois State Bar Association

• Criminal Justice Council: 2016 – 2020
• Judicial Advisory Council: 2017 – 2018
• Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education: 2016 – 2017
• Continuing Legal Education Liaison for Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Law Section: 2016 – 2017
• Continuing Legal Education Liaison for Criminal Justice Section: 2016 –2017