2023 Fall Seminar Atlanta

Matt Brock, JD
Matt Brock is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (Class of 2005). Upon graduation from UTK, he received a degree in Political Science (B.A.). While in college Mr. Brock founded an E-Commerce business that he later sold in 2013. He also worked in real estate prior to attending law school. Mr. Brock received his J.D. in 2012 from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. While in school, he practiced as a Certified Law Student which enabled him to perform certain enumerated legal services under the supervision of a trained attorney such as negotiating on behalf of clients and appearing in depositions and arbitrations. He was part of the first class to serve in the small business incubator at TJSL. Mr. Brock studied abroad in Nice, France, and Hangzhou, China. Upon graduation, he received a Global Legal Studies Scholar Award.
Mr. Brock’s practice is focused on impaired driving crimes. However, he has handled cases from Class C misdemeanors to First Degree murders and is most comfortable litigating in the courtroom. He is extremely passionate about representing the accused and believes in absolute zealous advocacy. He is a certified instructor in DUI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing course recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is the same course that police officers take in order to make DUI arrests. He is a Board Member for the DUI Defense Lawyers Association as well as a member of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Chattanooga Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
When not honing his own craft, Mr. Brock enjoys teaching other attorneys across the country and has over 20 speaking engagements to his credit.

Rob McKinney, JD
Criminal defense attorney Rob McKinney was admitted to practice in the state of Tennessee and U.S. District Court in 1994. He is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Association for Justice, the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Dr. Jimmie Valentine
Dr. Valentine has B.S. degrees in both Biology and Chemistry from Centenary College of Louisiana; M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Mississippi in Medicinal Chemistry. He retired in 2008 from the University of Arkansas, College of Medicine, where he served for 19-years as Professor of Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Myeloma Research and the last 5-years as Chairman of the Institutional Review Board at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences which oversaw all the human research in the various colleges and affiliated Veterans’ Hospitals. Prior to that Dr. Valentine was a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine (Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Lecturer in Medicine) and Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Associate and Full Professor and Chairman of Pharmacology). At all the academic institutions where Dr. Valentine served as a faculty member he also directed Toxicology laboratories and had active research programs in the fields of drugs of abuse, performing and developing analytical techniques for determining drugs of abuse, and correlating levels found in humans with behavioral effects.
Dr. Valentine was a pioneer in utilizing gas and liquid chromatography for analysis of human physiological fluids and tissues. Dr. Valentine has published 59 articles in peer-reviewed scientific and medical literature, 12 monographs in forensic newsletters, 14 chapters in books and is co-author of 3 books. He has presented at many scientific meetings on the correlation of drug use and behavioral effects in relationship to levels determined in physiological fluids both in living and post-mortem situations. Dr. Valentine has testified in numerous civil and criminal trials, and administrative hearings concerning drug findings and has been qualified as an expert witness in 28 different states as well as Federal courts and military court martial proceedings. Dr. Valentine now serves as a consultant in medical pharmacology and toxicology. Dr. Valentine is also a commercially rated pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor.
Brian Blades
Brian Blades is a Co-founder of Scorpion Internet Marketing and the Sr. Vice President of its criminal and DUI defense division. With over 20 years’ experience, Brian is an expert in digital marketing for DUI attorneys and speaks frequently at both state and national criminal defense conferences about revenue growth strategies for small firms. Brian lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Marcos Garza, JD
Mr. Garza is a native of East Tennessee. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. He obtained his Masters of Science from the University of Tennessee and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Marcos M. Garza of the Garza Law Firm, PLLC is best known for his defense of those accused of DUI, criminal charges and for his representation of individuals who have suffered serious personal injury.

In 2010 through 2014, Marcos Garza was one of only four lawyers in the states of Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, under the age of 40 to be selected as a “Mid-South Super Lawyer Rising-Star,” in the area of DUI/DWI Defense, a distinction given to the top 2.5% of all lawyers under the age of 40 or in the first 10 years of practice. Then, from 2017 through 2019, Marcos Garza has been designated a Super Lawyer in “DUI-DWI Defense“. Mr. Garza has consistently been recognized in CityView, Newsweek, Forbes and Time magazines for his accomplishments as an outstanding attorney. Mr. Garza has also been recognized as one of the top 40 trial lawyers under 40 years of age in the state of Tennessee, as selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association, and has also been selected as one of their top 100 Trial Lawyers in America as recently as 2019. He has consistently been rated AV Preeminent, the highest distinction given by the distinguished Martindale attorney rating system.

Mr. Garza lectures both in the state of Tennessee and nationally in the areas of Criminal Defense, DUI and trial skills. Mr. Garza has literally attended hundreds of hours of legal and scientific education related to the defense of the citizen accused and prides himself in staying on the cutting edge of trial techniques and the underlying law and science that is necessary to effectively defend those accused of crime or those who have suffered serious personal injury. Mr. Garza is trained in the science and techniques of Gas Chromatography (the method used to test drugs and alcohol in the blood), the EC/IR II breath testing device and is both a student and Instructor of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) courses.
Mr. Garza is also a graduate of the prestigious National Criminal Defense College (NCDC) in Macon, Georgia and a graduate of the well-respected Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College® in Dubois, Wyoming, an intensive 24-day trial skills college.
After a tour as a Judge Advocate and Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Garza returned to practice law in his home of East Tennessee. He routinely travels across East Tennessee handling criminal and personal injury cases for a relatively small number of clients. Marcos Garza is committed to handling fewer cases in the areas of Criminal, DUI and Personal Injury law in order to achieve the best results possible. This system enables Mr. Garza to get to know his clients personally and thoroughly, and he believes this not only produces better results but is also a more rewarding way of practicing law. He is available during the week and on weekends for free consultations. Mr. Garza is a husband and father of four young children and enjoys running and charcoal grilling on the weekends.

Greg Willis, JD
Through years of work and specialized training, Attorney Greg Willis has established himself as a top DUI defense attorney in the State of Georgia. His legal career is dedicated to the representation of individuals who have been charged with driving under the influence. Due to his success and masterful defense techniques, Attorney Willis has garnered many positive testimonials from clients and attorneys alike.
Attorney Willis has a 93% success rate of defending DUI charges over the past 5 years. His experience has prompted other DUI lawyers to pay money to hear about the firm’s strategies at seminars.
As Atlanta’s legal and scientific authority on chemical testing, he has a reputation of being the most credible source of knowledge in this field in the courtroom.

John Bateman, JD
John C. Bateman is dedicated to defending clients accused of DUI. He is a founding member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association and has been featured on WYFF4 and Fox Carolina.
John has been nominated and accepted to the Board of Directors for the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA), which is the preeminent association for DUI defense lawyers in the country. It is composed of the very top-tier lawyers from the United States, as well Canada. John is a founding member of this organization
John C. Bateman is a former Army JAG prosecutor, with experience prosecuting criminal conduct at court-martials at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. John was also sworn in as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and was tasked with trying civilian traffic offenses including DUI, DUS, and speeding tickets in federal district court.
John also served with the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), a subordinate unit of the United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Upon ending his active duty military career, he relocated to Greenville, South Carolina.
Since opening his own practice, John has aggressively fought to bring cutting edge DUI defense techniques to his clients. The National Highways Safety Administration publishes the curriculum for DUI enforcement training, and John Bateman was certified as an instructor on the latest May 2013 NHTSA DUI enforcement curriculum before it was fully implemented by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. So what does this mean? It means that, in many circumstances, John has had more training on DUI enforcement than the arresting officer on a case, and he can bring that experience to his client’s defense.
John had the pleasure of instructing with nationally acclaimed DUI expert, Tony Palacios, in Atlanta, Georgia, where they taught the NHTSA DUI Detection Curriculum. This instruction is the only curriculum utilized nationwide by law enforcement for DUI detection. As NHTSA-certified instructors, John and Scotty have taught in numerous cities across the country.
John attended the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA) national conference held in Denver, Colorado. This seminar brought the top attorneys in the United States and Canada for several days of intensive training in trial preparation and execution, as well as instruction in DUI evidence collection and implementation.
In his free time, John enjoys board games, grilling out, and camping on the weekends with his wife, Eva, and their two children, Jack and Clark.

Shyanne Riddle, JD
Shyanne’s legal interest began as she was assisting a local attorney on death penalty cases. After being admitted to practice law, she continued her work on the death penalty cases and maintained a general practice of her own until joining our office in October 2017. She has a passion for advocacy and defends both misdemeanors and serious felony charges throughout Middle Tennessee.
Shyanne is admitted to practice law in Tennessee State Courts as well as Federal Court. She is experienced in appellate brief writing and argues appeals before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.
Shyanne trained in Wyoming at the Trial Lawyer’s College and she is a State Ambassador for the DUI Defense Lawyers Association and a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Additionally, Shyanne volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and Advocating Opportunity.

Dr. Carrie Valentine
Dr. Carrie R. Valentine obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from the Honors College at the University of Oregon in 1968 and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Biochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975. She took post-doctoral training both at the University of Montana and the University of California-Davis. Dr. Valentine taught microbiology and molecular biology to nursing, medical, and dental students at the Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1979-1990. From 1990-1992 she was a faculty member within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas College of Medicine in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1992 she accepted a position as a Research Microbiologist for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) in Jefferson, Arkansas, until retiring in 2008, when she received the FDA Distinguished Career Service Award. She now teaches online biology for Grand Canyon University and works with her husband, Dr. Jimmie Valentine on consultations and scientific writing. Recent chapters written with her husband concern both ante- and post-mortem fermentation of human specimens and the scientific status of alcohol testing. Dr. Valentine is also a licensed private pilot and regularly flies with her husband, also a pilot and certified flight instructor, throughout the country.

Patrick McLaughlin JD
Patrick J. McLaughlin was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina. Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1997, Mr. McLaughlin continued to work in management for a company that runs several family entertainment centers in North and South Carolina. In 2002, Mr. McLaughlin chose to return to school, enrolling at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Upon graduating from law school in December 2005, Mr. McLaughlin returned home to Florence and began his legal practice with the Wukela Law Firm. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2006 and remains an active member.
Mr. McLaughlin’s practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in personal injury, civil rights cases, and wrongful death cases. He also practices criminal defense, defending those accused of crimes, DUIs and traffic violations in South Carolina.
Mr. McLaughlin is a current member, former Board of Directors member and past President of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (SCACDL), the state’s largest professional association of criminal defense lawyers. He founded and chairs SCACDL’s annual Criminal Law 101 CLE.

Mr. McLaughlin is also a member of the South Carolina Association of Justice (SCAJ), the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA) and serves on the Board of Directors for Justice 360. He is a member of the Florence County Bar, having served as an officer and President (2018).
Mr. McLaughlin has undergone National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) training in the following:
-DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST)
-Advanced Roadside Impairment Driving Enforcement (A.R.I.D.E)
-Drug Evaluation and Classification (DECP)/ Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)
Mr. McLaughlin has tried jury trials in both state and federal courts. He has represented clients on civil and criminal appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, South Carolina Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Drew Carroll, JD
Drew Carroll is a seasoned criminal defense attorney having successfully defended citizens accused of the spectrum of crimes ranging from capital murder to simple traffic offenses. Drew formed the Carroll Law Firm in January 2010 after deciding to transition his practice, as manager and lead trial counsel for the DUI/ Criminal Defense Practice at the Joye Law Firm, into his own Firm. Drew spent more than a decade with the Joye Firm, after being personally recruited to join that firm the by legendary DUI defense attorney and firm founder Reese Joye. Early on in his tenure with the Joye Firm, he shifted the focus of his practice to concentrate on the defense of Driving Under the Influence cases. Since that time, he has successfully defended more than a thousand clients charged with DUI.
In addition to hundreds of hours of education and training on defending DUI cases, Mr. Carroll has completed the breath-test courses on the operation of the DataMaster DMT and the BAC DataMaster offered by National Patent Analytical Systems, the manufacturer of the DataMaster breath testing device. He has also completed the NHTSA practitioner’s course on Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, and the (IACP) Drug Recognition and Evaluation Course.
Mr. Carroll is a member of the Teaching Faculty of the prestigious National College for DUI Defense and a frequent lecturer on the defense of DUI cases and DUI and criminal law related issues in South Carolina. He has served as chairman of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ annual DUI Defense seminar for the past ten years; the premier DUI Defense training event for criminal defense lawyers in South Carolina.
Though his practice is primarily devoted to the defense of DUI and DUI related charges, Mr. Carroll continues to successfully defend select non-DUI criminal cases in State and Summary courts in South Carolina.
Mr. Carroll is a Past President of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the State’s largest professional association of criminal defense lawyers. He is president of the Charleston County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is actively involved in the legislative process and serves as co-chairman of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Legislative Steering Committee. He is regularly involved with the drafting, debating and negotiating of proposed criminal justice legislation.

Thomas Grajek, JD
Since starting my legal career over 25 years ago, I have always been a criminal defense trial attorney. I’ve never worked as a prosecutor trying to put people in jail; I have always believed in helping individuals accused of a crime.
Over the course of my career, I’ve earned a reputation for hard-hitting, no-holds-barred representation of criminal defendants. My job is to help people find the way out of a tough situation. I love taking cases that other lawyers wouldn’t touch and earning dismissals or Not Guilty verdicts at trial.
I have an office in Polk County. I know the legal system here, and I have a winning track record in a tough environment for criminal defendants. It’s an arms race, so I’m constantly working to improve my craft. I go to national seminars, talk to the best lawyers and legal experts from around the country, and bring those insights back home to win more cases. Other attorneys frequently refer cases to me because they know I know how to win.
I’m also one of just four Florida attorneys who have earned the American Chemical Society (ACS) Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Designation as recognized by the Chemistry and the Law Division of the ACS. Forensic Lawyer-Scientists study the science that pertains to DUI and drug charges and apply it legitimately in the courtroom. This special training allows me to recognize flaws in the police and prosecution’s use of science and build a stronger defense for my clients.

Douglas Huff, JD
Attorney Douglas Huff was born in Warren, Ohio and was raised in Western Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh, where he attended Mount Pleasant Area High School. After high school, Attorney Huff enlisted in the United States Army and served for four years receiving the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He received an honorable discharge after completing his full term of service and relocated to Austin, Texas.

After attending law school, Attorney Huff worked at Barbri, an organization specializing in assisting law students in studying and passing the state bar examination. In addition to being licensed to practice law in the state of Texas, he sat and passed the Oklahoma Bar during this time. Afterwards, he opened his own law practice, The Law Office of Douglas E. Huff in Dallas, Texas where he represented clients charged with various misdemeanor and felony criminal offenses.
In 2013, Attorney Huff accepted a position with the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office where he worked diligently as the lead attorney in many DWI trials and other misdemeanors. Additionally, he has assisted numerous clients through plea negotiations, led many evidentiary hearings, and prepared and took part in felony trials.
Attorney Huff joined Deandra Grant Law in 2016.

On a personal note, Doug has one daughter who is an attorney in Dallas and a rescue dog named “Athena”. He’s a military vet who loves to travel. One of his favorite trips was walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Doug is also a competitive poker player you can often find playing in tournaments around the country.

Paul Doroshenko, QC, LLB
Paul Doroshenko, Q.C. is an experienced Vancouver Criminal lawyer who devotes his practice exclusively to criminal defence and drunk driving law. He ensures first and foremost that his clients avoid a criminal record.
During his career as a leading Vancouver Criminal Lawyer, Paul Doroshenko has handled a wide range of criminal matters, from sexual assaults and white collar thefts to impaired driving and shoplifting. He and his law office have successfully defended over ten thousand cases in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland.
Paul Doroshenko believes that his clients should be fully informed about their case as it progresses. He advances the best interests of his clients. By representing good people who have simply made a mistake and found themselves in trouble with the law, Paul can often turn back the clock and put his clients back in the position they were in before they were arrested.
Paul Doroshenko has been the leading opponent of the British Columbia DUI legislation concerning IRP Immediate Roadside Prohibitions. He has delivered and chaired many presentations to the BC Trial Lawyers Association and the Canadian Bar Association on topics of DUI law in BC and how to handle hit and run investigations. He co-authored a paper on the Latest Developments in the IRP Immediate Roadside Prohibition Regime. He has presented to lawyers on Canadian DUI Law at seminars in California, Illinois, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. He is often sought after for comment on the developments in DUI law in BC. Because Paul and the lawyers at Acumen law knew so many secrets about the IRP scheme, the Government sued his office and lawyers to keep them from using these secrets to defend their clients. As well, he has been a regular commentator on local and national news programs.
Paul Doroshenko is a member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, the National College for DUI Defense, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the California DUI Lawyer’s Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. He has completed the police training to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in accordance with the NHTSA guidelines.
He is the only lawyer in British Columbia who owns and operates a vast collection of police breathalyzers including the Intox EC/IR, Breathalyzer, Alco-Sensor FST, BAC Datamaster, Alco-Sensor IV, Alco-Sensor V XL, Alcometer SL2, Intoxilyzer 400 and the Intoxilyzer 5000. He has operated and calibrated the most commonly used Approved Screening Devices (ASD) used in British Columbia. With an understanding of the law, electronics, mechanical engineering and computers, Paul is uniquely skilled to challenge breath test results.

Dr. Lee N. Polite, BA, MBA, PhD
Dr. Lee N. Polite is the president and founder of Axion Analytical Labs, Inc. Since its inception in 1995, Axion has provided in-depth chromatography training to every major pharmaceutical, chemical and petroleum company in the US. Axion has also provided these services to most of the major government labs including the FDA, DEA, DOE, DOD, EPA, USDA, Homeland Security, etc. Lee has been teaching chromatography to professionals for more than 25 years. He has been invited to lecture on the topic in 17 countries and has trained more than 13,000 professionals. Axion’s Chicago training facility is equipped with 8 modern HPLC’s and 16 state of the art GC’s. All dedicated to Axion’s hands-on training courses.
Dr. Polite also serves as the Chief Science Officer for Sweetwater Energy (a leading renewable energy and chemicals company), is an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and continues to teach as the National Instructor for the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Polite earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech, where he worked under the direction of Professor Harold McNair. Dr. McNair is recognized as one of the premier chromatography professors in the world, and one of the pioneers in the field.
In addition to his technical degrees, Lee holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he majored in both strategy and marketing. Throughout his four years at Kellogg, it was ranked as the top business school in the US.
Prior to receiving his advanced degrees, Dr. Polite received his Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in Chemistry from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he was a Rector Scholar, a member of Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics honor society) and Sigma Xi (Chemistry honor society).
After receiving his Ph.D., Lee spent 9 years with Amoco Corporation, holding a variety of scientific and management positions, including Research Scientist, HPLC Team Leader, Group Leader of Environmental Analysis, and Laboratory Supervisor of one of the largest refinery labs in the US.

Dr. Polite is a recognized authority in the field of chemistry, demonstrated by the fact that he has taught chromatography courses for more than 30 years to a variety of professionals in 17 countries. He is the professor in charge of the popular American Chemical Society’s “Fundamentals of HPLC Course”, and “Practical and Applied Gas Chromatography Course”. His company (Axion Analytical Labs, Inc) is the sole supplier of hands-on chromatography courses to the ACS and its 165,000 members. He has served as chromatography instructor for the DEA, United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the New York City Police Department’s crime laboratory, DOE’s Argonne National Labs, Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies, Phenomenex, Shimadzu, along with pharmaceutical, petroleum, chemical and environmental companies throughout the world. Dr. Polite has authored countless professional course books on chromatography, a number of publications, and 3 book chapters on Chromatography.
Dr. Polite also founded the renewable energy company, “Helios Scientific, LLC”, where he helped to develop “sunburst” technology. Sunburst facilitates the economical production of clean burning ethanol along with a variety of renewable chemicals from a wide variety of waste plant material. This technology will help to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the world. Helios Scientific, LLC was acquired by Sweetwater Energy, Inc. in 2015. Dr. Polite now serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of Sweetwater Energy, Inc., where he will help direct the building and startup of one of the world’s first cellulosic ethanol plants in October 2020.

Brian Manchester, JD
Experience:
• Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania since 2000
• United States Federal District Court, Middle District
• United States Federal District Court, Western District
• Current owner of Manchester & Associates
Education:
• Thomas Cooley Law School, Lansing, MI, JD, 2000
• Pennsylvania State University, BS, Business Management, 1995
• American Chemical Society: Certified Lawyer-Scientist
Training:
• Criminal Defense Courses
• Standardized Field Sobriety Course- Instructor
• American Chemical Society Forensic- Gas Chromatography Course
• American Chemical Society Forensic- Solid Drug Course
• American Chemical Society Forensic- DUID Course
• DUI Defense Courses
• Concentrated Cross Examination Course
• Sex Crime Courses
Organizations:
• National College for DUI Defense – member
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – member
• American Chemical Society – member
• Pennsylvania Association for Drunk Driving Defense Attorneys- former Education Chairman
• Society of Forensic Toxicologists – former member
Teaching/Speaking Engagements:
• Metrological Challenges: Why the Test Results Are Often Wrong
• Supernatant (Biochemical) Blood Testing Hospital Blood
• Defending Hospital Blood Cases
• What is an alcohol or drug test intended to measure: “The Measurand”

Jan Semenoff, BA, EMA
Forensic Criminalist | Editor In Chief, Counterpoint
Jan Semenoff is the principal editor of Counterpoint and is well-known across Canada and the United States as an experienced Forensic Criminalist. He has testified as an expert in breath alcohol testing, SFST, and DRE issues in more than 150 jury trials, and has presented at more than 60 state, national and international conferences. He has been teaching science to professionals since 1986. He officially founded his parent company, Industrial Training & Design Ltd. in 1995. His ability to make complex scientific and forensic concepts understandable has made him a sought-after speaker in North America. Jan (pronounced “Yawn”), studied social and physical sciences and educational theory at the University of Saskatchewan. Jan earned an Advanced Certificate in Police Studies from the Canadian Police College and was an Instructor at the Saskatchewan Police College. He has been a member of numerous advisory boards, and association executives over the years.
Jan worked as an Emergency Medical Assistant with the local ambulance service for four years, then joined the Saskatoon Police Service. After an 18-year career as a Senior Constable and Violent Crimes Analyst, Jan retired and began teaching full-time with Industrial Training & Design Ltd. He has worked with many areas of industry including agriculture, food, mining, chemical, and steel, conducting workplace health and safety investigations, developing policies and procedures, and creating custom training programs for varied levels of learners from laborers, to lawyers, to scientists.
Because of his policing background and extensive experience with breath alcohol testing, Jan became involved with lawyers and other legal and forensic professionals who looked to him for an understanding regarding the science behind the tests. He has collaborated with lawyers, scientists, investigators, investigative reporters, and toxicologists across Canada and in dozens of jurisdictions across the United States, bringing a fresh perspective to the science involved in legal practice. He was the principal technical advisor to The New York Times in their year-long investigation on breath testing deficiencies in North America, and has been interviewed by numerous national media outlets, including newspapers, radio, and television.
He has been married to Susan Reschny for more than 30 years. When Jan is not traveling, he enjoys spending time with his wife and adult sons. He is an avid photographer who enjoys woodworking, hiking, fly-fishing, scuba diving, cooking and discovering inane trivia to drive them all nuts.

Chloe Spencer, JD
Chloe Spencer is an Associate Attorney at Cross Law Office, LLC. She earned her law degree from Capital University Law School in 2018. While at Capital, she was involved in the Women’s Law Association, and received a CALI award for achieving the top score in Oil and Gas Law.
Attorney Spencer also worked in the Capital University Legal Clinic as a certified legal intern, where under the supervision of staff attorneys she provided no-cost legal services to individuals on various legal issues. She also prosecuted misdemeanor cases in the Hilliard Mayor’s Court as an intern.
Before attending law school, Attorney Spencer attended Shawnee State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Criminology.
Attorney Spencer’s areas of practice include Criminal Defense, OVI/Traffic Defense, and Estate Planning.
In her free time, Attorney Spencer enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with her friends and family.

Sorsha Huff, JD
Attorney Huff grew up in Austin and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2016 with dual majors and minors. There, she was active in the Human Rights Program and continued her life-long Spanish studies in Madrid. Attorney Huff then attended Baylor Law School, where she coordinated the immigration clinic, argued in national moot court competitions, and completed the criminal law specialty track. Baylor’s intensive Practice Court program made her “courtroom ready,” and Attorney Huff began working as a criminal defense lawyer at a growing criminal defense firm in Addison in 2018. Since then, she’s expanded her practice to include tickets, appeals, Spanish-speaking clients, expunctions, and nondisclosures.
Attorney Huff was raised by lawyers, and joins Deandra Grant Law excited to try cases with her father, Douglas Huff. She is a Board Member of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and member of several organizations that advocate for greater rights and equality for women, LGBTQ populations, and incarcerated people. In her free time, she enjoys boxing, reading memoirs, spending time with her family and girlfriend, and doting on her cat Peanut.
Janine Arvizu
Janine Arvizu is a chemist (BS Biochemistry California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo; and ABD chemistry University of New Mexico) and Certified Quality Auditor (American Society for Quality #19856) who has spent nearly four decades in the field of analytical measurement quality. She established and managed an analytical laboratory for the Department of Energy, managed US Navy’s nationwide laboratory audit program, and has audited dozens of government and commercial laboratories. She conducts independent quality assessments of forensic results, helps lawyers understand laboratory analyses, and has testified in state, federal, and international courts.

Mark Thiessen, JD
Mark Thiessen prides himself on being an aggressive trial lawyer. If the district attorney will not bargain or justice will not be served by allowing the client to plead guilty, Mark passionately and professionally represents his clients at trial. He has won DWI cases from total refusals up to quadruple intoxication manslaughter. Mark has earned formidable reputation for being a tenacious Houston DWI trial lawyer, and he works hard to maintain that status. Mark is licensed and tries cases in Texas and Colorado.
Since opening Thiessen Law Firm, Mark has continued to add to his growing list of accomplishments. In addition to his widely publicized feats as a winning Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyer, Mark Thiessen was the youngest criminal Super Lawyer in Texas in 2013. As of 2021, Mark is a 9 time Texas Super Lawyer, 5 time Top 100 Super Lawyers in Houston and 3 time Top 100 Super Lawyers in all of Texas. For the past two years, Mark has been the only DWI lawyer listed in the Top 100 in Houston and the only criminal Super Lawyer listed in the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas.
Mark is the only lawyer in America who is triple board certified in:
1. Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
2. DUI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense as approved through the American Bar Association
3. DUI Law by the DUI Defense Lawyers Association.
Mark has also earned the American Chemical Society-Chemistry and the Law’s (ACS-CHAL) Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation — the highest form of scientific recognition available for lawyers.
Mark is also a frequent legal seminar lecturer, author of numerous published legal articles, and a faculty member for various organizations. Mark is an international lecturer and is regularly called on to speak and educate students, police officers, lawyers and judges.
Mark Thiessen was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Mark attended the Village School and St. Francis Episcopal Middle School before graduating from the Kinkaid School in 1996. Mr. Thiessen then attended and graduated from Texas Christian University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing. While at TCU, Mark was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and on the dean’s list.
Following his time at TCU, Mr. Thiessen returned to Houston and began his law school education at South Texas College of Law (STCL). Mark made the most of his time at STCL, actively taking part in mock trials and campus law societies. Mark’s passion for the law also took him abroad: he has studied at the International Criminal Law at the University of Malta, the BPP Law School in London, England, and at the University of Hawaii. Studying in these unique legal environments required Mark to adapt to various social, cultural, ethnic, and economic groups, which is evident in his approach and personality to this day.
After graduating from law school, Mark practiced civil law at Bell, Ryniker & Letourneau and at Brown Sims, P.C. In 2006, he followed his passion for criminal law by joining the team at Trichter & Murphy, P.C., where Mark was able to study under some of the foremost legal authorities in Texas. After five years with Trichter & Murphy, P.C., Mark decided to start his own law firm, thus opening Thiessen Law Firm.
Although his practice includes all areas of criminal defense, Mr. Thiessen specializes in cases regarding DWI, drugs, and controlled substances. The trial of a DWI case dictates that, on any given date, a trial lawyer must be not only well-versed in Rules of Evidence, case law pertaining to DWIs, and constitutional law, but also numerous areas of science such as anatomy, physiology, toxicology, chemistry, computer science, biology, and physics. Additionally, Mark has studied many hours of trial strategies in order to properly educate jurors and judges on the sciences involved.
Mark is the current DWI Committee co-chair and on the Board of Directors for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA), the 50th President and on the Board of Directors for Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) and a Charter Member and Treasurer and Director for DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA).
Mark’s reputation as a fearless, famous Houston attorney extends beyond his presence in the courtroom. In his free time, he competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a black belt for Brazil-021 School of Jiu Jitsu in Houston and also trains Muay Thai. Mark is an avid snow skier, tennis player and waterman. But above all else, he loves going on adventures with his family.

April Campbell, JD
April is a criminal defense attorney based in Dublin, Ohio. A former trial and appellate prosecutor, April has handled hundreds of appeals including successfully arguing in the Supreme Court of Ohio. Augmenting her reputation as a skilled appellate advocate is a passion for trial practice. She has successfully defended clients charged with impaired driving to serious felonies, including two recent swift murder acquittals. She particularly enjoys defending vulnerable people who were charged after being forced to defend themselves. She is widely sought throughout Ohio to co-counsel difficult cases or handle appellate issues.