01
What FGG actually is
The science and the process behind forensic genetic genealogy — SNP profiling, database matching, and documentary genealogy — explained in plain language a defense attorney can use.
Live Webinar · Friday, September 18 · 10 a.m. Arizona time
Forensic Genetic Genealogy Training for Criminal Defense Attorneys
If forensic genetic genealogy shows up in your case, you should know what you’re looking at before you decide what to fight.
The position you’re in
Forensic genetic genealogy is showing up in more criminal cases every year, and criminal defense attorneys are in an uncomfortable spot. The state brings a lead built on SNP profiles, family trees, and database matches, and the file lands on your desk with a confident-sounding conclusion attached.
You know enough to know it matters. You may not know enough yet to know where the holes are.
This training is built to close that gap — not to turn you into a genealogist, but to give you the working knowledge to read an FGG file critically, ask the right questions in discovery, and decide with confidence where to push and where to let it go.
What you’ll learn
Seven outcomes, each one a decision you’ll be better equipped to make after the session.
02
Where FGG shows up in a criminal case
How and when investigative genetic genealogy enters a case file, from cold-case leads to unidentified remains, and what its presence signals about the investigation behind it.
03
What to ask for
The specific records, reports, database logs, and chain-of-custody documents worth requesting in discovery when FGG is part of the state’s case.
04
What deserves a closer look
The methodological pressure points — relationship ranges, endogamy, consent and database terms, exclusion of alternate candidates — where careful work and careless work diverge.
05
What probably isn't worth fighting
Where the science is settled and a challenge is unlikely to move the court, so you can spend your time and your client’s money where it counts.
06
Recent FGG case review
A grounded look at how FGG has played out in recent cases, what worked, what was challenged, and what it means for the matter in front of you.
07
When to call an expert
How to recognize the moment a case has crossed from “I can read this” into “I need someone who builds these trees,” and how to bring that expert in effectively.
Recent case application
FGG in the headlines, on the defense side
- Bryan Kohberger — Plea
- Rex Heuermann — Plea
- Matthew Nilo — Currently pending
- Issues with how FGG evidence was handled or challenged
- Gaps in discovery or investigative process
- Problems with vendor reports or genealogy database searches
- Police procedure or policy issues that came up
- Specific arguments that worked or didn’t work for the defense
Bonus: FGG Defense Case Triage Checklist
Every registrant receives the FGG Defense Case Triage Checklist PDF by email the moment registration is recorded — a working triage sheet for sizing up an FGG file the day it lands on your desk.
About the instructor
Christine Burke
Christine built the first forensic genetic genealogy training program for law enforcement, and now she’s teaching the same working knowledge to the attorneys who have to meet that work in court.
Full qualificationsRetired police detective and sergeant
A career in law enforcement that grounds every analysis in how cases are actually investigated and worked.
Criminal defense investigator since 2008
Nearly two decades inside defense work, understanding what attorneys need and how to deliver it.
Police policy, procedure, and culture expert since 2019
Court-qualified expertise on the standards agencies are held to and where they fall short.
A personal path into genetic genealogy
Identified her mother and herself through genetic genealogy in 2017 — the case that started everything.
Founded GGLE in 2021
Genetic Genealogy For Law Enforcement — the first FGG training program built specifically for law enforcement.
POST instructor
A National Certified Instructor through IADLEST, teaching the curriculum she writes.
Solved cases prominent vendors couldn’t
A track record of closing identifications that larger, well-known genealogy vendors had walked away from.
Training details
Date
Friday, September 18
10 a.m. Arizona time
Format
Live 90-minute webinar
VIP Q&A
Capped at 20 attorneys
Zoom access & instructions
The training is delivered live over Zoom. You don’t need the link right now — once the session link is ready, it will be emailed to the address you registered with, ahead of the September 18 session at 10 a.m. Arizona time.
VIP attorneys receive a separate, private Q&A link in addition to the main webinar link.
Platform
Zoom (live)
Link delivery
By email, once ready
VIP Q&A
Separate private link
Pricing & registration
Choose your tier, enter your name and email, and complete payment through PayPal. Your FGG Defense Case Triage Checklist PDF is emailed to you automatically the moment your registration is recorded.
Early Bird pricing has closed. Regular registration is now $197.
How registration works
1
Register & pay
Enter your name and email, choose your tier, and complete payment through PayPal. You’ll receive a confirmation right away.
2
Receive the checklist
The moment your registration is recorded, the FGG Defense Case Triage Checklist PDF is emailed to you automatically.
3
Get your webinar access
Your live Zoom access details arrive by email ahead of the September 18 session. VIP attorneys receive a separate Q&A link.
Reserve your spot for September 18 at 10 a.m. Arizona time
Regular registration is $197. VIP seating is capped at 20 attorneys and closes when it fills.