Child Abuse Solutions, Inc., Advanced Education for Court Professionals

Best Practices when Representing Abused Children in Family Court

Topics covered include:

Understanding child abuse allegations in contested custody cases
Dynamics of families experiencing domestic violence and child abuse during divorce
Investigation of abuse allegations
Working with expert witnesses, mediators, evaluators, therapists, MDITs, police and social workers
What the court expects of attorneys appointed for children in divorce actions
Best interests of children when abuse is occurring and custody is at issue
Substituted judgment versus the child's stated wishes
Writing Statements of Issues, motions and trial briefs
Deposing witnesses and preparing for hearings and trials
Hearsay statements and admissibility of evidence of abuse
Protecting children when evidence is insufficient to prove abuse occurred

Representing the Protective Parent in Child Sexual Abuse Custody Disputes and Related Cases

Topics covered include:

The Protective Parent as client
Child abuse allegations and domestic violence in Family Court cases: System failure
Understanding and transforming the current paradigm in which abuse allegations are heard
Best interests of children when abuse is occurring and custody is at issue
Thorough investigation of abuse allegations: Making sure everyone does their job
Mediation and evaluations: Insisting on quality and lack of bias
Evidence of abuse: What is it and how to prove it at trial
Defenses and offensive moves to anticipate in Family Court litigation of child abuse
Developing case themes, writing trial briefs and motions
Deposing and examining witnesses and experts, "Timelining" and proof charts, preparing for trial
Ethical duties in the representation of parents of abused children
Representing your client in all legal forums: Juvenile court, Family Court, Civil Court and Criminal Court
Domestic Torts
Defense of concurrent criminal cases: Necessity defense to custodial interference or Parental Kidnapping charges