Members of the public and Florida attorneys are invited to attend the Baker Act Defense Attorney Symposium Summit (BADASS)!
Chapter 394 of the Florida Statutes (commonly called the “Baker Act”) is a law that allows health practitioners and law enforcement officers to initiate an involuntary 72-hour mental health examination within a psychiatric facility. If the psychiatrist decides it’s necessary, he or she my petition the court for a hearing to keep the patient for even longer involuntary treatment. Children, the disabled, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to abuses of the Baker Act law, but most people don’t know much about it. BADASS is intended to provide critical information to lawyers and the public about this little-known but overused law.
Some of Florida’s most prominent mental health attorneys, including managing partner Kendra Parris, will be presenting at the BADASS Symposium on various topics including:
- The criteria for initiating a Baker Act examination;
- The criteria for initiating involuntary treatment;
- What to expect during a Baker Act hearing;
- Patients’ rights while involuntarily committed;
- Resources for lawyers, family members and friends;
- The laws, administrative rules, and guidance papers applicable to Baker Act exams and commitments;
- Collateral legal issues surrounding the Baker Act.
If you have been impacted by the Baker Act law, or you know someone who has and you wish to gather more information on what to do in these situations, you are welcome to attend the conference (which is complimentary). The symposium is geared toward attorneys, but the information is invaluable to parents, family members, and anyone with an interest in Florida’s civil commitment laws.
