Laura Caldwell

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Laura Caldwell
Caldwell speaking at San Francisco Public University, 2017
Born(1967-10-24)October 24, 1967
DiedMarch 1, 2020(2020-03-01) (aged 52)
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Iowa
Loyola University Chicago School of Law (JD)
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • law professor
  • author

Laura Caldwell (October 24, 1967 – March 1, 2020)

civil trial lawyer and also a law professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, founding director of Life After Innocence, published author of 14 novels and two non-fiction
books. The latest book she co-edited is "Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted" (Liveright, 2017), which tells the true stories of over a dozen innocent men and women who were convicted of serious crimes and cast into the maw of a vast and deeply flawed American criminal justice system before eventually, miraculously being exonerated.

With novels published in over 25 countries and translated into more than 13 languages, Caldwell had left the law behind, or so she thought. Research on her sixth novel led her to the criminal case of a young man sitting in a

holding cell for nearly six years without a trial. Compelled by his story, Caldwell joined a renowned criminal defense attorney
to defend him, ultimately proving his innocence and inspiring her first nonfiction book, Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost in the System and the Two Women Who Found Him (Free Press, Simon & Schuster).

By working with him and witnessing his intense struggle to assimilate into a now foreign and unfriendly world, Caldwell became keenly aware that while many programs are available for ex-offenders after their release, the innocent in most states receive no assistance. As a champion for the innocent, Caldwell was moved to create Life After Innocence, an innovative and first-of-its-kind program that helped

wrongfully convicted
and later found completely innocent—to begin their lives again and reclaim their rights as citizens.

Caldwell's fictional work began in the '

writer and has been widely published both domestically and internationally.

Education

Caldwell graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa and earned her J.D. with honors from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Speaker

Caldwell spoke internationally, empowering audiences to overcome adversity by sharing the stories of her Life After Innocence clients and how they went from wrongfully imprisoned to regaining their lives.

Author

Caldwell, who lived in the

legal system
. Caldwell was a published author of 16 books – 14 novels and two nonfiction:

Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted (2018, Liveright), The Dog Park (2014, Mira) False Impressions (2012, Mira) Question of Trust (2012, Mira) Claim of Innocence (2011, Mira) Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost In the System and the Two Women Who Found Him (2010, Free Press) Red White & Dead (2009, Mira) Red Blooded Murder (2009, Mira) Red Hot Lies (2009, Mira) The Good Liar (2008, Mira) The Rome Affair (2006, Mira) The Night I Got Lucky (2005,

Red Dress Ink
) Look Closely (2005, Mira) The Year of Living Famously (2004, Mira) A Clean Slate (2003, Red Dress Ink) Burning The Map (2002, Mira)

Death

Caldwell died on March 1, 2020, in River Forest, Illinois, of breast cancer. She was 52 years old.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Laura Caldwell, lawyer, novelist and advocate for the wrongly convicted, dies at 52".
  2. ^ "Laura Caldwell, lawyer, novelist and advocate for the wrongly convicted, dies at 52".

External links

Articles featuring Caldwell