Michele Lavigne| Episode 01

Sanctuary in the Jungle launches its first episode exactly where so many Wisconsin attorneys’ passion for criminal defense begins - with emeritus law professor Michele Lavigne. Join us as Michele and Aaron discuss why they’re so passionate about defense and how communication helps them best tell their clients’ stories.

At the University of Wisconsin Law School, Professor Lavigne led the UW Public Defender Program after serving as a public defender herself for many years. There, she researched the impact of deafness, language acquisition, and language impairments on individuals in the criminal justice system. In today’s episode, Michele shares this insight to show why effective communication is so important for attorney-client relationships, interactions with judges, and building a sanctuary. 

Mentioned Readings:

Michele LaVigne & Sally Miles, “Under the Hood: Brendan Dassey, Language Impairments and Judicial Ignorance,” 82 Albany Law Review 

Michele LaVigne & Gregory Van Rybroek, “ ‘He Got In My Face So I Shot Him’: How Defendants’ Language Impairments Impair Attorney-Client Relationships” 17 CUNY Law Review 69 (2013) 

Marlantes, Karl. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2010.