Colin Daniels, a defense attorney with Southfield-based Rockind Law, participated in a scientific forensics course held by the American Chemical Society in Chicago in late January. The hands-on class, the majority of which was conducted in a lab with participants working with their own Gas Chromatograph Flame Ionization Detector machines, educated attorneys on the use of blood testing instruments and the science behind gas chromatography, a method used to separate organic and inorganic compounds in both liquid and gas. After separating the compounds, police, FBI and other authorities can then analyze the chemicals, such as drugs or alcohol, that are present in breath, blood and urine.
Only about 250 attorneys in the U.S. have completed the coursework that allows lawyers to explain the science of gas chromatography in DUI ethanol-based cases. Completion of the course allows attorneys to test blood from the lab and verify or challenge the court's experts. Rockind Law founder Neil Rockind attended the seminar in Oct. 2014.
"After attending the chromatography seminar this fall, I found the information to be invaluable and knew Colin would also benefit by attending," Rockind said. "We are constantly pursuing avenues that enhance our legal capabilities and expand our knowledge base to provide our clients the best defense possible."
Trial attorneys attending the class also gained critical advocacy skills to help judges and juries discern which evidential science is valid and what professed science should be rejected.
Published: Fri, Feb 06, 2015
