Digital Commons Network^™

Child Welfare Law Office Guidebook: Best Practice Guidelines For Organizational Legal Representation Of Children In Abuse, Neglect, And Dependency Cases, Colene Flynn Robinson

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Subverting The Marriage-Amendment Crusade With Law And Policy Reform, Anita Bernstein

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Procedural Injustice: How The Practices And Procedures Of The Child Welfare System Disempower Parents And Why It Matters, Vivek Sankaran, Itzhak Lander

Articles

Many of us appear surprised when families involved in the child protective system do not reunify. A parent’s path to reunification seems straightforward. Upon a finding of neglect, the court prescribes a basic regimen, typically consisting of parenting classes, counseling, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation, that a parent must fulfill prior to having the child returned to his/her custody. If a parent successfully completes these seemingly minimal requirements, the law requires reunification unless the return poses a “substantial risk of harm” to the child. With such high stakes involved, a clearly defined path for success, and the prospect of …

Foreword To The Special Issue On The Family Law Education Reform Project, Andrew Schepard, Peter Salem

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this issue is to promote a dialogue between the family law academic community and stakeholders in the family law system about how future family lawyers should be educated. Family law practice has undergone dramatic change in the last quarter century, perhaps more than any other area of practice. Virtually everything about it has changed—the role of the family court, the procedure for resolving family disputes, the role of the family lawyer, and the substantive law. It is a vibrant and exciting field, with great influence on the lives of families and children.

The family law curriculum in …

The Regulation Of Intercountry Adoption, Mary E. Hansen, Daniel Pollack

ExpressO

As of January 2006, the United States was the only major receiver of children through intercountry adoption that had not implemented the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The U.S. signed the Hague Convention in 1994, but did not pass implementing legislation until 2000. Regulations pursuant to the legislation were proposed in 2003, but final regulations did not go into effect until March 2006. The slow pace was partly the result of Congressional wrangling over designation of a regulator and partly the result of a prolonged conversation between the designated regulator and the adoption community over specific regulations.

Finalization of …

The Legal Status Of Pregnant And Parenting Youth In Foster Care, Cynthia Godsoe, Eve Stotland

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Representing Children In Families--Foreword , Bruce A. Green, Annette R. Appell

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Recommendations Of The Unlv Conference On Representing Children In Families: Child Advocacy And Justice Ten Years After Fordham, Unlv Conference On Representing Children In Families: Child Advocacy And Justice Ten Years After Fordham

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Report Of The Working Group On The Role Of The Family, Working Group On The Role Of The Family

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Report Of The Working Group On The Role Of Age And Stage Of Development, Working Group On The Role Of Age And Stage Of Development

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Report Of The Working Group On Representing Children As Members Of Communities, Working Group On The Representing Children As Members Of Communities

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

How Children's Lawyers Serve State Interests, Martin Guggenheim

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Children's Voice And Justice: Lawyering For Children In The Twenty-First Century, Annette R. Appell

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Child Client; Representing Children In Child Protective Proceedings, Merril Sobie

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

All's Fair In Love And Divorce: Why Divorce Attorney's Fees Should Constitute A Dissipation Of Marital Assets In Order To Retain Equity In Marital Property Distributions, Sarah C. Acker

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Legal Representation Of Birth Parents And Adoptive Parents, Elizabeth Samuels

All Faculty Scholarship

The Article examines the role that legal representation of birth and prospective parents may or may not play in independent domestic adoptions in furthering two primary goals that characterize ethically and humanely conducted adoptions, deliberate decision making and finality. Ideally, these two goals are complementary and can be balanced with one another. There is, however, a danger of the second goal eclipsing the first. Many state laws appear to value an increase in infant adoptions over the goal of encouraging careful deliberation. Most domestic infant adoptions involve powerful market forces as well as powerful emotional pressures, and they occur in …

Justice, Access To The Courts, And The Right To Free Counsel For Indigent Parents: The Continuing Scourge Of Lassiter V. Department Of Social Services Of Durham., Bruce A. Boyer

Faculty Publications & Other Works

No abstract provided.

Two Distinct Roles/Bright Line Test, Donald N. Duquette

Articles

It is a mistake to try to develop a single lawyer role for children in child welfare cases which tries to accommodate their developing capacities from infants to articulate teens. The older child needs a traditional attorney; the youngest child, incapable of directing counsel, needs a substitute to define and advocate for his or her best interests. We should adopt different standards for the different advocate roles. Trying to define a single lawyer role for children of all ages and all capacities is an impossible task. A better approach towards recognizing and accommodating the child's developing cognitive abilities and judgment …

The Child Client: Representing Children In Child Protective Proceedings, Merril Sobie

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this article outlines the historical context and addresses the child's right to legal representation. Part II discusses the child's legal status by defining the specific legal interests, her procedural rights as a party to the litigation, the right to choose counsel, and the child's right to be involved as a participant. The penultimate Part analyzes the role of the child's counsel, including an outline of the relevant statutes, the diametrically opposed positions of state legislatures and the organized bar, and the hopelessly conflicting contemporary case law. The final Part addresses the fundamental deficiencies of the “best interests” …

Phase Three Of New York State Domestic Violence Law: The Financial Aftermath, Jennifer Sarkees

Buffalo Women's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Border Crossings: Understanding The Civil, Criminal, And Immigration Implications For Battered Immigrants (And Others) Fleeing Across State Lines With Their Children, Catherine F. Klein, Leslye E. Orloff, Hema Sarangapani

Scholarly Articles

This article provides an overview of the impact of state criminal parental kidnapping or custodial interference statutes on immigrant survivors of domestic violence who already have left or wish to leave their state with their children. Specifically, it discusses the jurisdictional laws that relate to interstate custody, criminal implications of intrastate versus interstate custodial interference, the varying applicability of custodial interference statutes for parents who do and do not have court-ordered custody of their children, statutory exceptions or defenses available to survivors of domestic violence facing prosecution on charges of criminal parental kidnapping, and immigration consequences related to a conviction …

An Analysis Of Unified Family Courts In Maryland And California: Their Relevance For Ontario's Family Justice System, Barbara A. Babb

All Faculty Scholarship

The Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario has contracted with the University of Baltimore School of Law's Center for Families, Children and the Courts to prepare this research paper. The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of unified family courts and court-connected family services in two jurisdictions, Maryland and California, as agreed to by officials of the Ministry. The overview provides information about the structure of each jurisdiction's unified family court, family services connected to the court, the role of judicial and quasi-judicial officers, the assignment and specialization of the judiciary, rules or processes to deal …

Judicial Deference Or Bad Law? Why Massachusetts Courts Will Not Impose Municipal Liability For Failure To Enforce Restraining Orders, Carolyn Grose

Faculty Scholarship

The authors take up the challenge that was thrown down by the Ford v. Town of Grafton court. The first part of this Article examines the somewhat tortured and fascinating history of the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act. It then describes the arguments Catherine Ford made, how the court responded, and why it responded as it did. In Part II, Massachusetts' strong commitment to protecting and assisting victims of domestic violence is examined. A variety of legislative, executive and judicial initiatives that demonstrate commitment are described, but the Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 209A, the restraining order statute, is emphasized. The article …

Representing Children In Families, Bruce A. Green, Annette R. Appell

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Making Work Pay: Promoting Employment And Better Child Support Outcomes For Low-Income And Incarcerated Parents, Ann Cammett

Scholarly Works

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice prepared this report in response to concerns about child support debt—in particular as it creates a barrier to employment for low-income parents and works at cross-purposes with the goals of the child support program. Drawing on examples from other states, this report identifies a range of policies that inform child support practice in New Jersey and offers administrative, legislative, and programmatic solutions to address child support arrears owed by low-income and incarcerated parents.

Asking The Family Question, Berta E. Hernández-Truyol

UF Law Faculty Publications

Today, the international community is taking strides to address the needs/concerns of the family and to develop norms regarding its protection. However, principles of international law that address issues regarding the family are relatively new. Moreover, to date, these principles have primarily focused on certain specific rights, such as children's rights, women's rights, and child labor rights, rather than incorporating family well-being as a central aim of all international law and relations. This essay proposes a fundamental shift in the approach to international policy and law-making, as well as the engagement of international relations, to include a family-sensitive, culturally inclusive, …

Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel In Parental-Rights Termination Cases: The Challenge For Appellate Courts, Susan Calkins

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Still Part Of The Clan: Representing Elders In The Family Law Practice, Sy Moskowitz

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing Teresa O'Brien: A Role Play For Domestic Violence Clinics, Leigh S. Goodmark, Catherine F. Klein

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Law Is The Answer? Do We Know That For Sure? Questioning The Efficacy Of Legal Interventions For Battered Women, Leigh S. Goodmark

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.