ABOUT OUR TEAM

Stacie B. Lieberman, Director of Post-Conviction and Mitigation Advancement

Stacie is the Director of Post-Conviction and Mitigation Advancement for the Capital Area Private Defender Service, Director of the Forensic Project, Director of the CAPDS Wrongful Conviction Project, and Director of the CAPDS Mitigation Advancement Program. She has nearly 20 years of post-conviction experience, including litigating capital habeas petitions on behalf of death-sentenced individuals in multiple states. Prior to undertaking post-conviction work full-time, Stacie practiced corporate litigation and international trade law at an Am Law 100 firm in Washington, D.C. where she won an award for her pro bono work. Stacie has a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a J.D., magna cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law. She is admitted to practice in multiple states including Texas and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA), the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (ACDLA), and the Austin Bar Association. Stacie has written multiple amicus briefs on behalf of ACDLA, TCDLA, and NACDL; participated in the discussion group that led to the publication of Guidelines for Collaboration: Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Working Together in Joint Post-Conviction Investigations in 2022; was a member of the NACDL Task Force on Prosecutorial Accountability; and has written numerous articles and given multiple presentations on prosecutors’ Brady obligations and defense counsel’s duties to investigate and present mitigation in violent felony cases.

Jane Eggers, Supervising Senior Attorney

Jane is the Supervising Senior Attorney for the APD DNA Review Project and the Wrongful Conviction Project, and she is also lead counsel on and assists with some DPS DNA Review Project cases. Prior to joining The Forensic Project, Jane worked as a capital post-conviction attorney for a number of years. She has also worked for state and international policy organizations. Jane received her J.D. from the University of Arizona (Law Review) and her MSSW from Columbia University. Jane is licensed to practice in Texas and Louisiana and is a member of the bars of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Natasha Hess, Staff Attorney, APD DNA Review Project

Prior to joining The Forensic Project, Natasha gained significant experience as an appellate attorney at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, where she won a case before the Florida Supreme Court in 2018. Natasha is licensed to practice in Texas and Florida. Natasha has appeared on several national trivia programs, including Jeopardy! and ABC’s The Chase.

Belinda Wright, Staff Attorney, APD and DPS DNA Mixture Projects

A native Houstonian, Belinda graduated from Rice University as a first-generation college student with a B.A. in Legal Studies and a University Certification in Spanish Translation. Belinda earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was honored for her advocacy and brief-writing skills with membership in The Order of the Barristers. After law school, Belinda served as a law clerk to The Honorable Judge Marvin Teague on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals before joining the criminal defense law firm of Maloney & Yeager in Austin, where she specialized in complex state and federal litigation at both the trial and appellate level with an emphasis on white collar crime. When partner Frank Maloney was elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1990, Belinda returned to the Court as  The Honorable Judge Maloney’s Briefing and Research Attorney. Belinda is admitted to practice in Texas, is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and is fluent in Spanish. Belinda has five daughters and the added blessing of five grandchildren.

Courtney Lewis, Staff Attorney, DPS DNA Mixture Project

Courtney joined the Forensic Project in 2023, bringing years of Texas-based capital postconviction defense experience with her. Courtney obtained her J.D. from Penn State Dickinson Law. Based on her continued and demonstrated commitment to serving the underserved in law school, she was awarded the Unsung Hero Award, the D. Arthur Magaziner Human Services Award, the Lewis Katz Award, and the Miller Center Advocate of the Year Award.

Christen Chipman, Investigator, APD DNA Review Project

Christen has a Master of Science from the University of Strathclyde.

Claudia B. Aranda, Paralegal, APD DNA Review Project

Claudia has a B.S. from Texas A&M University. Claudia is fluent in Spanish.