UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Over the next two weeks, the Department of Sociology and Criminology in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State will host a series of conversations with seven legal professionals. The sessions, which are open to all liberal arts students, will be held via Zoom.
Monday, March 30, 7 p.m. — Lawrence Claus, prosecutor (Zoom link)
Lawrence Claus served for nearly 50 years as a criminal prosecutor, Grand Jury Counsel, and trial attorney at both state and county levels in Pennsylvania, specializing in cases involving public corruption, organized crime, and homicide. Claus successfully prosecuted numerous organized crime and public corruption cases while working for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and rose to the rank of deputy attorney general. As an assistant district attorney for Allegheny County, Claus litigated all types of crimes and served as the head of the homicide unit. He also taught for several decades in both undergraduate and graduate university programs, including programs at the University of Pittsburgh and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Tuesday, March 31, 2 p.m. — Shirleen Chin, international lawyer and eco-justice advocate (Zoom link)
Shirleen Chin is an international legal expert working on matters related to environmental crime, international criminal law, illicit trade, anti-corruption, organized crime and economic crimes. She has worked largely in the non-profit sector, with some years in the private sector. Chin is currently the managing director of Green Transparency, a firm that provides clients with the tools and expertise they need to effectively manage their environmental strategies. She is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Wednesday, April 1, 7 p.m. — Andrea Taylor Cornwall, public defender (Zoom link)
Andrea Taylor Cornwall, public defender, has spent her legal career with the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office representing the indigent in Wisconsin's trial and appellate courts. She has been the regional attorney manager of the Milwaukee Appellate Office since 2015. Cornwall has argued before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Wisconsin Court of Appeals and currently has a case with a pending petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thursday, April 2, 2 p.m. — Craig Donnachie, FBI special agent (Zoom link)
Craig Donnachie, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and served as a U.S. Army officer prior to joining the FBI in 1997. He was assigned to the FBI New York's Joint Terrorism Task Force and remained there through 2005. He also served assignments at FBIHQ, the FBI Louisville Division, as well as two overseas posts: Berlin, Germany, and his current assignment in The Hague, Netherlands. His specialty areas are counterterrorism, organized crime, money laundering, and cyber-based fraud.
Monday, April 6, 7 p.m. — Daniel Soeffing, DEA agent (Zoom link)
Daniel Soeffing is a Drug Enforcement Administration agent stationed in Philadelphia. He holds a law degree and served as a prosecutor before joining the DEA. Soeffing has led multiple successful drug trafficking investigations during his tenure at the DEA.
Tuesday, April 7, 7 p.m. — Frank Marsh, FBI Academy instructor (Zoom link)
Frank Marsh is an instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He is an expert in communication analysis and previously worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. military and National Drug Intelligence Center.
Wednesday, April 8, 7 p.m. — Joseph Migliozzi, judge (Zoom link)
The Honorable Joseph Migliozzi is a Norfolk, Virginia Circuit Court Judge. Before his appointment to the bench, Migliozzi served as capital defender, the attorney tasked with handling appeals for death row inmates. He successfully argued Atkins v. Virginia before the U.S. Supreme Court, which resulted in the court ruling that executing mentally challenged inmates was cruel and unusual.
Questions about the sessions can be directed to Howie Smith, the event coordinator and associate teaching professor of criminology, at hbs103@psu.edu.