Ask a Mitigation Specialist
Ask a Mitigation Specialist, a resource program that allows defenders to meet directly and privately with a mitigation specialist for specific technical assistance. Complete the form below for a 25-minute session with experienced mitigation professionals. The information discussed during each session is confidential. Registration for this event has now closed.
Miriam Bankston & Elisa Quesada
Registration for this event has now closed
Please only sign up for AMS if you can commit to attending, as this helps us and our advisors manage scheduling and keeps spots available for those who can fully participate. If an emergency or unexpected conflict arises, please notify us as soon as possible so we can adjust plans and honor the time our volunteer advisors generously offer.
Miriam Bankston
Miriam Bankston began working as a mitigation specialist five years ago, after completing her Master of Social Work and spending a year as a therapist working with adolescents. Since making the professional shift, Miriam has been at the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defenders in the Middle District of Alabama, where she was recently promoted to Chief Investigator. Among her team and others who work with her, she is known to be a dynamic leader who is devoted to her clients.
Miriam is committed to best practices and to keeping her clients and their humanity at the center of their cases. As the chief investigator, she has set standards for mitigation investigation in the unit, and changed the way the office interacts with clients, ensuring that teams fully consider their clients when making decisions. Miriam is also a mentor to her teammates, regularly offering support and guidance on casework and managing team dynamics. She is dedicated to supporting diverse mitigation specialists and fostering culturally responsive practices in mitigation. She does all this with compassion and professional sensitivity.
A participant in the ACLU’s Scharlette Holdman Mitigation Mentorship Program for 2021-2022, Miriam also regularly leads workshops and training sessions at the national and local level on working with clients and their families, unpacking difficult mental health diagnoses, and other topics.
Miriam continues to seek opportunities to improve her skills, support her clients, and raise the quality of mitigation in the field.
Elisa Quesada, Esq., LCSW
Elisa has over 25 years of experience in the criminal justice field with a focus on defense-based advocacy, compiling and writing mitigation and Alternative Sentencing reports. Her expertise is in capital case mitigation and second-phase presentation.
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