This CLE has been approved for 1 Law & Legal WSBA Credit | Activity ID #: 2062299
This webinar offers an in-depth look at Washington’s Family and Offender Sentencing Alternative (FOSA), a sentencing option designed to keep families intact and break the cycle of incarceration. Lynn Stuart, Parenting Program Manager with the Washington State Department of Corrections and second-in-command for the FOSA program, provides a comprehensive overview of FOSA—including program benefits, evaluation processes, and how defenders can proactively support their clients’ eligibility and success.
Defenders Jason Lantz and Brit Mercer walk through lessons learned in navigating a particularly complex FOSA case, offering strategic insights into building the strongest possible case for sentencing alternatives that prioritize family preservation.
This session equips defense attorneys with practical tools and approaches to advocate for FOSA eligibility and promote better outcomes for clients and their families.
Faculty:
Lynn Stuart is currently the Program Manager for the Parenting Sentencing Alternative (PSA) within the Washington State Department of Corrections. With over 17 years of experience, she’s had the opportunity to work alongside a diverse population, both in the prison system and in the community, encouraging positive growth and reunification for happy and healthy families across Washington state. As Program Manager, she helps identify and screen eligible individuals, works collaboratively with Department of Children, Youth and Families, Department of Social and Health Services, DOC and community treatment providers, county prosecutors and defense attorneys, and other stakeholders for the benefit of family reunification. She finds inspiration in a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; THAT is to have succeeded.”
Since graduating from the University of Washington School of Law in 2002, Brit Mercer has devoted her career to defending individuals accused of crimes and represents people in municipal, district, superior and federal courts. She has significant experience defending DUIs, vehicular assault, vehicular homicide and other criminal traffic violations, domestic violence, serious felony crimes and misdemeanor charges. She has been named a “Rising Star” and a “Super Lawyer” fifteen times. She has been a featured speaker at numerous CLE presentations for the Washington Defender Association, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Washington Foundation for Criminal Justice, King County Department of Public Defense, and the National College for DUI Defense. Her hard work and integrity have earned her the respect of her peers, adversaries, and clients. Outside of the courtroom, Brit can usually be found on a horse, and she competes in show jumping competitions throughout the country.
Jason Lantz is a criminal defense attorney with the Law Offices of Burg and Lantz, LLC. Jason has extensive trial experience with a "winning" record. He defends those accused of all types of state criminal offenses but has become particularly known for his work in impaired driving and other criminal traffic offenses. He is an author, along with Jon Fox and Alex Uskoski, of Defending DUI's in Washington published by LexisNexis. Jason has been a leader in the effort to research and challenge the Draeger Alcotest 9510 breath test machine and his work was recently featured on the New York Times television news program "The Weekly" on Fx and Hulu. Jason has been nominated to the WACDL Board and is on the WACDL legislative and CLE committees. Jason has a bachelors of science in life sciences, a general science degree, from Kansas State University and graduated from the Seattle University School of Law.
