Dr. Kristen Stanley

Biography

Kristen Stanley is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Lawyering Program at Cornell Law School. She teaches courses on Lawyering, Trauma-Informed Lawyering, Trauma Law, and Death Penalty issues in America. Professor Stanley regularly presents professional training programs for criminal defenders across the nation. Her teaching experience includes representing death-sentenced individuals in federal habeas corpus and state post-conviction proceedings. Previously, she served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Capital Habeas Unit for the Office of the Federal Public Defender Middle District of Tennessee, where she represented individuals sentenced to death in federal habeas proceedings at the Federal District Court, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Professor Stanley's legal practice began in Louisiana, where she also represented individuals sentenced to death in state post-conviction proceedings. She holds a Master’s in Social Work, focusing on understanding the effects and effective treatment of trauma, specifically examining how exposure to traumatic experiences impacts neurobiology, human development, brain functioning, and interpersonal relationships, particularly within the criminal judicial system. Her research interests include the social, cultural, and political forces that shape experiences of trauma and recovery.

Research Interests