Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified adoption attorney
Current Employment Position
KIRSCH DASKAS LAW GROUP, PLLC
Managing Partner/ Chief Criminal Litigator
Bloomfield Hills, MI
October 2015-present
- Representation of adults and juveniles accused of wrongdoing. Specializing in cases involving children where multidisciplinary training in psychology, linguistics, forensic interviewing, suggestibility of children, child abuse, physical injury and the law is applied. Advocate for students at the K-12 and University level in disciplinary proceedings or educational support (IEP/ 504); criminal, expungement, protective services, and criminal proceedings across the State of Michigan.
LISA B. KIRSCH SATAWA, PLLC
Chief Criminal Defender
Birmingham, MI
January 2015-present
- With the belief that client service and professional integrity must be priorities LBKS PLLC was established to represent wrongfully accused juveniles and adults who risk loss of freedom, children, education, or other fundamental rights
LKS Trial Consulting
Consultant
Bloomfield Hills, MI
September 2012-present
- Litigation investigation and support for civil and criminal attorneys nation-wide in cases involving child witnesses. Services include, case analysis and identification of relevant issues, application of current research, necessity of experts, evaluation of forensic interviews, creation of timelines and character developments to assist experts, liaison between attorney and experts, using the “Theatre in the Courtroom” methodology to assist attorneys in developing the “story” of their case, conduct mock juries and focus groups, voir dire preparation and overall case assist.
Past Positions
CLARK HILL, PLC
Member
Birmingham, MI
July 2013- January 2015
- Attorney specializing in all criminal and civil matters involving children. Defense of Falsely Accused Parents/’ Defendants in Criminal, Child Protection and Family Law Cases involving sexual assault and child abuse allegations, Children’s Rights, Adoption and the Defense of Children charged with crimes as juveniles or adults. Additional work includes Guardian Ad Litem for abused or neglected children in termination of parental rights cases, divorce cases, consultation and investigation of possible intra-school misconduct and mandatory reporting; expunction from the Central Child Abuse Registry Proceedings.
KIRSCH & SATAWA PC
Principal Attorney
Southfield, MI
April 1995 to July 2013
- Specializing in Defense of Falsely Accused Parents in Criminal, Child Protection and Family Law Cases involving sexual assault and child abuse allegations, Children’s Rights, Adoption and the Defense of Children charged with crimes as juveniles or adults. Additional work includes Guardian Ad Litem for abused or neglected children in termination of parental rights cases and expunction from the Central Child Abuse Registry Proceedings.
- Practice focuses on child sexual assault and child abuse cases requiring multi-disciplinary knowledge in areas of linguistics, forensic interviewing, cognitive development and medically intensive facts such as Munchausen By Proxy, Medical Abuse, Unexplained Fractures and Brittle Bone Disease.
Bar Admissions and Demographics of Practice
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Michigan, May 1995
- US District Court-Eastern District of Michigan, 1995
- 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2003, United States Supreme Court, 2006
Counties of Practice
- Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Livingston, Presque Isle, Emmet, Mecosta, Ingham, Osceola, Gratiot, Clinton, Muskegon, Washtenaw, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Joseph, Hillsdale, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Monroe, Roscommon, Crawford, Montmorency, Berrien, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Lake, Isabella, Delta, Bay, Calhoun, Branch, and Van Buren; family, juvenile and criminal divisions.
States of Practice
- Ohio, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri & Florida
*Pro Hac Vice Admission on a case-by-case basis
Pre-Licensure Experience
HERTZ, SCHRAM AND SARETSKY,P.C.
Law Clerk
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
September 1994 to June 1995
- Researched and Prepared complaints, motions, briefs and memoranda pertaining to securities, criminal and consumer fraud issues.
WAYNE COUNTY PROSECUTOR
Contract Intern Prosecuting Attorney – Child and Family Abuse Unit
Detroit, Michigan
January, 1993 to July 1994
- Conducted preliminary examinations in child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence cases and misdemeanor jury trials pursuant to MCR 8.120.
LAW OFFICE OF WILLIAM MITCHELL,III
Law Clerk
Southfield, Michigan
August 1993 to December 1993
- Researched and prepared motions and briefs in criminal defense cases. Attended and actively assisted in murder, drug and sex crime trials.
48th DISTRICT COURT
Judicial Research Clerk
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
May 1992 to August 1993
- Judicial Research Clerk to the Honorable Edward Avadenka and the Honorable Gus Cifelli.
6th JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF MICHIGAN, PRE-TRIAL SERVICES
Investigator
Pontiac, Michigan
May 1992 to August 1992
- Interviewed in custody criminal defendants, verified personal information, confirmed criminal history and drafted bond recommendations to assist District and Circuit Court Judges with a bail/bond determination.
DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS, INC.
Securities Broker
Boston Massachusetts, New York, New York and Southfield, Michigan
January 1986 to June 1991
- Securities licensure: Series 7, General Securities; Series 63, Michigan Blue Sky; Insurance Certification.
Education
- Detroit College of Law, Detroit, Michigan
- Juris Doctorate, May 1994
- Honors/Activities:
- Winner of Am. Jur. Award for top performance in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure.
- Research Assistant, Professor Patricia Mell and Professor Jack Apol (Criminal Law).
- All-School Moot court Competition, 1992, 1993.
- Street Law Project Participant
- Founder and executive Director of “Hands on Detroit”.
- Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- B.A. International Economics, 1987
Professional Seminar Training and Experience
I have lectured and presented on Criminal Law and Child Protection Issues in Michigan and Nationally.
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Pandemic Webinar Series: Cross-examination of Child Witnesses, 2021.
- Speaker, State Bar of Michigan, Mid-Winter Criminal Law Conference: Collateral Consequences of Criminal Behavior: Central Registry & Family Law, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan February, 2020.
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Advanced Criminal Law Conference, Questioning Child Hearsay Witnesses, Boyne Falls, Michigan, November, 2019
- Attendee, Wright’s Law Advanced Education Law Seminar, Ann Arbor, Michigan October, 2019
- Speaker, Oakland County Bar Association, Juvenile Law Committee, Child Witness Issues, Pontiac, Michigan May, 2019
- Speaker, National Business Institute, Special Education Issues (IEP and 504): The IEP Development Process, Grand Rapids, MI, Lansing, MI and Sterling Heights, MI 2018-2019
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Advanced Criminal Law Conference, Experts and Daubert: Issue Spotting and Choosing Experts- How Do I Know What I Need and Who Can Teach the Jury,Troy, Michigan, March 2019
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Advanced Criminal Law Seminar, Cross-examination of Child Witnesses, Boyne Falls, Michigan, November 2018.
- Speaker, Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program (CAP), Intro to Criminal Sexual Conduct, February, 2018
- Speaker, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 2017 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, July 27, 2017, Thematic Cross Examination.
- Speaker, Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 2017 Annual Conference, Bend, Oregon, June 2017. Expert Witnesses: Bulletproofing and Shooting to Kill.
- Speaker, Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association: 2017 Annual Conference, Bend, Oregon, June 2017: Child Witnesses: A Linguistic Approach to Cross Examination
- Speaker, Indiana Psychological Association, The Intersection of Psychology and the Law; South Bend, Indiana, September, 2016; Reviewing Child Forensic Interviews: An Overview with tips to be a successful expert in this area.
- Speaker, Montana Criminal Defense Attorneys, Federal Defender of Montana, Office of the Public Defender of the State of Montana, Pray, Montana, March 2016; Forensic Interviewing, Suggestibility of Children and Cross Examination of Child Witnesses.
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Traverse City, Michigan, November 2015; Sexual Assault Update: Intro to the Law Enforcement Protocol for Response to Adult Sexual Assault Cases
- Speaker, Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Little Rock, Arkansas, June 2015; Expert Witnesses: Bulletproofing yours while attacking theirs!
- Speaker, National Legal Aid and Defender Association Annual Training Retreat; Las Vegas, NV April 2015; A Primer on Child Witness Issues
- Speaker, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, February 2015, New Orleans, Louisiana: Hey Little Girl, Have a Praline: Cross Examining Children
- Speaker at National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Spring Conference, 2009, Santa Fe, New Mexico, “Women and Children as Witnesses”; Filtering, Facts, Fibs and Fantasy: Child and Expert Witnesses.
- Speaker Idaho Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Annual Training, March, 2010, Sun Valley, Idaho, Filtering Facts, Fibs, Fantasy: Child and Expert Witnesses.
- Speaker Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, June 2012: An Age Based Approach to Cross-Examination of Child Witnesses.
- Speaker Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, July 2012 Gaylord, Michigan: Age Based Approach to Cross Examination of Children;
- Speaker Ingham County Bar Association: December 2012, Don’t Be Afraid, They Are Only Kids… A Primer on Child Witnesses and Forensic Interviewing,
- Speaker ICLE SORA Reform One Year Later; April 2013;
- Speaker Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers: Suggestibility and Forensic Interviewing of Children. June 2013.
- Speaker South Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyers, July 2013. Do Little People Lie in Court?.
- Speaker State Bar of Michigan Family Law Institute, November, 2013 Examination of Child Witnesses,
- Speaker SCAO Parent Attorney Training, February, 2014 The Michigan Forensic Interviewing Protocol and Handling Child Witnesses,
- Speaker Clark Hill, PLC In House Café Webinar Series, April 2014, Protecting Employers/ Corporations from Employee Misconduct,
- Speaker Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers, July 2014 Cross examining, Understanding and Analyzing Child’s Statements; Forensic Interviewing Protocols, Suggestibility and Linguistics to Combat Child Sexual Assault Allegations;
- Speaker Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Fall Advanced Training; November 2014, Sexual Assault Update.
- Speaker: State Bar of Michigan Mid Winter Conference, Creative Sentencing in Sexual Assault Cases
- Speaker, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, M and M, Prosecutorial Misconduct and Mistrial
- Speaker: Family Independence Agency Protective Services Worker Advanced Training, 2001, Social Work in Court
- Creator and Instructor Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, March and November 2005- present A is for Attorney,
- Speaker Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Trial College August 2011, Cross Examination;
- Speaker Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Trial College August 2012, Closing Arguments;
- Faculty, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Trial College, August 2005-present;
Professional Seminars/ Memberships
- State Bar of Michigan, Representative Assembly 9/2001-2006; Children’s Law Section Counsel, 1996-2003; Criminal Law Counsel 10/2002-10/2003; Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM) Liaison to Representative Assembly and Criminal Law Committee, 2006-2007. Member of Criminal Law, Children’s Law and Family Law sections.
- Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM) (Member -1993 to present) Board of Directors 2001-2011) Executive Board, Treasurer 2004-2007, Chair Development Committee 2008-09, Member of Membership Committee and Education Committee: Faculty at Trial College 2005-present. Faculty A is for Attorney 2005 – present.
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Consent Task Force, present.
- State of Michigan Sexual Assault Model Policy Project: collaborator on a multi-disciplinary team creating and implementing a protocol for law enforcement to respond to sexual assault in the State of Michigan. 2013-present.
- State of Michigan Criminal Jury Instructions Committee, 2015- 2018.
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) National Consent Task Force 2019-2021
Awards/ Recognition
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) member 1995 – present.
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Continuing Education Institute 2012-2015 Term
- National Child Abuse Defense Resource Center, International Conference on Defending Child Abuse Allegations, The Law, The Science, The Myths, The Reality. 1996 – present.
- State of Michigan, Guardian Ad Litem Training and Certification 2003-present.
- Oakland County Bar Association (Criminal and Children’s Law Committee).
- National Association of Counsel for Children 1998-present.
- Women’s Bar Association, (Member) present
- Michigan State Bar, Kimberly Cahill Young Leadership Award. 2011
- Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Right to Counsel Award 2020
- Michigan Super Lawyer: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
- Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Top 50 Women Lawyers 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,2022
- NYT Top Attorney in Michigan 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018
- Super Lawyers Excellence in Practice 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys Client Satisfaction Award 2016
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Nation’s Top 1%, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Hour Detroit, Top Women Attorneys in Michigan 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
- Top 5% America’s Most Honored Professionals 2019, 2020
- 2020 Elite Advocate Criminal Law
- Lawyers of Distinction, Recognizing Excellence in Criminal Defense Law 2018
- Eastern District of Michigan Certificate of Appreciation – Pro Bono Civil Assignment Panel
- Life Member of the National Registry of Who’s Who
Proud Moment as an Attorney
September, 2014, along with the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic and Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions successfully achieved exoneration for a man serving life in prison for a wrongful conviction, based on a false confession and untestable DNA evidence, for the rape and murder of an elderly woman in 1996. He served 18 years.