Biography:

Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Mattes served for four years as a deputy public defender in San Diego.  After moving to New Orleans, she became Assistant Special Counsel in the Office of Special Counsel for the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana.  Since joining the Tulane Law School faculty in 2002, Ms. Mattes has worked in the Criminal Clinic supervising both trial and appellate litigation.  Ms. Mattes was lead counsel in State v. Denson, a landmark case that resulted in statewide changes to the treatment of mentally ill criminal defendants who are incompetent to stand trial.  Continuing her work in this area, Ms. Mattes has testified before a state legislative committee; has taught and lectured on issues relating to incompetent criminal defendants; and participated in related litigation.  After Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Mattes accepted, on behalf of the Tulane Criminal Clinic, the Clinical Legal Education Association Award for Excellence in a Public Interest Project.  The award was for work done in identifying, locating and representing Orleans Parish inmates who had been displaced by the evacuation.  Ms. Mattes also led a film crew into the flooded evidence rooms both in the criminal courthouse and the police department.  She is a member of the ASPIRES Strategic Working Group, designing and implementing new protocols for the preservation of evidence in criminal cases.  Ms. Mattes is also active in the Orleans Parish Forensic Mental Health Council, a group of stakeholders working towards developing solutions to the influx of mentally ill in the criminal justice system.

Professor Mattes' CV 

Courses:
Fall 2012 - Criminal Advocacy Seminar; Criminal Litigation Clinic
Spring 2013 - Criminal Litigation Clinic