ABOUT ELIZABETH
Elizabeth Kelley is a criminal defense lawyer with a nationwide practice focused on representing people with mental disabilities. She is the editor of Representing People with Mental Disabilities: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers (2018), Representing People on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers (2020), and Representing People with Dementia, a Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers (2022), all published by The American Bar Association (ABA). Elizabeth was appointed Editor of the ABA's annual publication, The State of Criminal Justice. Elizabeth serves as a Vice President of the ABA's Criminal Justice Section Council and on the Editorial Board of Criminal Justice Section Magazine. She co-chaired the Criminal Justice Advisory Panel of The Arc's National Center for Criminal Justice and Disability and the ABA's Commission on Disability Rights. Elizabeth serves on the Advisory Board of The Neuroscience Center of Fordham University School of Law.
Elizabeth served three terms on the board of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), chaired its Mental Health as well as Membership Committees, and is a Life Member. She traveled to Liberia in 2009 and 2014 as part of a delegation sponsored by the U.N. Commission on Drugs and Crime and NACDL to train that country's criminal defense bar.
Elizabeth lectures across the U.S. as well as abroad on representing people with mental disabilities, and frequently provides commentary for radio and television. She hosts the podcast Mental Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System. She teaches a course at Gonzaga School of Law titled "The Intersection of Mental Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System."
Elizabeth served as President of The Spokane Symphony and on the boards of The Arc of Spokane and the Museum of Arts and Culture (The MAC). She was appointed by the Spokane City Council to the Police Ombudsman Commission. Elizabeth completed her 200 hour Yoga certification through Harmony Yoga in Spokane and my 500 hour certification through Semperviva Studio in Vancouver, BC.
Elizabeth is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth and Ninth Circuits, the Northern District of Ohio, the State of Ohio, and has been admitted pro hac vice in numerous states and federal courts.
Elizabeth served three terms on the board of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), chaired its Mental Health as well as Membership Committees, and is a Life Member. She traveled to Liberia in 2009 and 2014 as part of a delegation sponsored by the U.N. Commission on Drugs and Crime and NACDL to train that country's criminal defense bar.
Elizabeth lectures across the U.S. as well as abroad on representing people with mental disabilities, and frequently provides commentary for radio and television. She hosts the podcast Mental Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System. She teaches a course at Gonzaga School of Law titled "The Intersection of Mental Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System."
Elizabeth served as President of The Spokane Symphony and on the boards of The Arc of Spokane and the Museum of Arts and Culture (The MAC). She was appointed by the Spokane City Council to the Police Ombudsman Commission. Elizabeth completed her 200 hour Yoga certification through Harmony Yoga in Spokane and my 500 hour certification through Semperviva Studio in Vancouver, BC.
Elizabeth is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth and Ninth Circuits, the Northern District of Ohio, the State of Ohio, and has been admitted pro hac vice in numerous states and federal courts.
PODCAST Challenges Faced by People with Mental Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System
Interview with Elizabeth Kelley |
![]()
|
ARTICLES
|