Forensic Pathology: Determining Manner and Cause of Death
This CLE program offers a practical and detailed overview of forensic pathology with a focus on how deaths are classified by cause, manner, and mechanism. Presented by Dr. Martha J. Burt, a seasoned forensic pathologist and expert witness, the program demystifies the terminology and methodologies used in death certification, helping criminal defense attorneys better understand the distinctions between medical findings and legal conclusions.
By exploring case examples—from drug toxicity and gunshot wounds to complex traumatic injuries—the presentation equips lawyers with the tools to analyze death records more effectively, challenge cause and manner determinations, and identify potential inconsistencies or oversights in medical examiner conclusions. Viewers will gain a clearer understanding of how classifications like “accident,” “suicide,” or “homicide” are reached, and how these conclusions may be influenced by regional conventions, incomplete data, or misinterpretation of physiological findings.
This knowledge is especially valuable when cross-examining forensic pathologists or reviewing autopsy reports in cases involving contested deaths. Criminal defense lawyers will leave with a stronger grasp of how to use or challenge death records in court, clarify misleading terminology for jurors, and assess whether a death was truly “explained” from a legal perspective.
Dr. Martha Burt is a physician board certified in Anatomic, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology, with her practice dedicated to forensic pathology, the branch of medicine focused on diseases, injuries, drugs, and other processes that result in premature or unexpected death. Throughout her 20+ year career, Dr. Burt has worked as an associate medical examiner in medical examiner offices serving semi-rural, suburban, and large metropolitan communities. Dr. Burt also has extensive experience in the management of morgue facilities, having served as the Director of the Autopsy Service at UF Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida, College of Medicine, in Gainesville, Florida, and more recently as the Chief Medical Examiner for the Clark County Medical Examiner Office in Vancouver, Washington. As a forensic pathologist, Dr. Burt has investigated and certified thousands of deaths resulting from a broad spectrum of processes and has developed particular expertise in deaths resulting from drugs and toxins, firearms, environmental exposure, and interpersonal violence. Through this work she has developed strong collaborative relationships with attorneys, members of the law enforcement community, healthcare agencies, and community partners, serving as an expert witness in both civil and criminal proceedings. Dr. Burt possesses strong skills in medical records reviews, critical analysis of death investigations and autopsy reports, trial/deposition testimony, and implementation of forensic pathology practice standards.
CLE State Accreditation
- General 1.00
- General CLE-HI: 1.00
- General CLE-SD: 1.00
- General CLE-NY: 1.20
- General CLE-CA: 1.00
- General CLE-IL: 1.00
- General CLE-AK: 1.00
- General CLE-MD: 1.00
- General CLE-VT: 1.00
- General CLE-MA: 1.00
- General CLE-DC: 1.00
- General CLE-ND: 1.00
- General CLE-OR: 1.00
- General CLE-WA: 1.00
- General CLE-CT: 1.00
- General CLE-NH: 1.00
- General CLE-FL: 1.20
- General CLE-VI: 1.00
- General CLE-AZ: 1.00
CLE State Accreditation:
- General 1.00
- General CLE-HI: 1.00
- General CLE-SD: 1.00
- General CLE-NY: 1.20
- General CLE-CA: 1.00
- General CLE-IL: 1.00
- General CLE-AK: 1.00
- General CLE-MD: 1.00
- General CLE-VT: 1.00
- General CLE-MA: 1.00
- General CLE-DC: 1.00
- General CLE-ND: 1.00
- General CLE-OR: 1.00
- General CLE-WA: 1.00
- General CLE-CT: 1.00
- General CLE-NH: 1.00
- General CLE-FL: 1.20
- General CLE-VI: 1.00
- General CLE-AZ: 1.00