The Children's Law Podcast

In this episode, John and Angela offer three ideas for your New Year's Resolutions.

In this episode we talk with Kristen Pisani-Jacques, the NACC's training director. We reflect on some themes from the 2022 conference in Baltimore and highlight what is coming in the online conference. The NACC Online Conference is September 21-23, 2022, and features 17 sessions. You can register for the conference here.

This episode is sponsored by the National Association of Counsel for Children. Join  us at the NACC annual conference in Baltimore, August 22-24, 2022. The theme is Bridging Theory to Practice: Learning  and Unlearning  to Drive Effective Advocacy. We hope to see you there! In this episode we talk with Professor Kristin Henning, The Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law. Professor Henning discusses the traumatic effects of policing on children of color, and how children's lawyers can respond. Professor Henning is the author of Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. She also mentioned several other resources, including Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World, by Dorothy Roberts; Seeing What's Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior and Using Language in Juvenile Court; and, for NACC members, her recent article in The Guardian, What Counsel for Children Need to Know About the Traumatic Effects of Policing (p. 31). 

This episode is a companion to Trauma and the Children's Lawyer. The arriving exercise is something you can use when you are feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. It can help you to regulate yourself so you are prepared to meet with clients, go to court, or even go home. It is not recommended that you try this while driving. Thanks to Cynthia Bowkley for this helpful tool!

This episode was developed in partnership with the National Association of Counsel for Children. Join us at the NACC's national conference in Baltimore August 22-24, 2022! Click HERE to learn more and register! In this episode we interview two of the presenters at the NACC conference, Cynthia Bowkley and Rebecca Stahl. Click their names for a link to their webpages. Their presentation at the conference is Trauma-Informed Interviewing, but in this episode we focus more on the role of the children's lawyer in self-regulating and understanding how trauma presents in our clients. We discuss the role of somatic experiencing as a way to help people with trauma. Click HERE for the website of Somatic Experiencing International for more information. As always, thanks for listening. If you have comments or suggestions you can message us at angela@childrenslaw.org.

In this episode, Angela talks with Cristal Ramirez, the Youth Engagement Manager at the National Association of Counsel for Children. You won't want to miss this one! Her insights on youth engagement are valuable for everyday practice and systems work. For our next episode, we are looking for a case to review on the show. If you are interested, please send your name, state and a few case details to angela@childrenslaw.org.

In this episode, Angela talks with Stacey Obrecht, President of Public Knowledge, and David Kelly, Director of the Family Integrity & Justice Works at Public Knowledge. Listen to learn about their work and plans to replace the child welfare system as we know it. To learn more, subscribe on the Public Knowledge website.  Learn more about Stacey and David below.  Stacey Obrecht JD, CWLS, PMP President Cheyenne, WY Since 2021, Stacey has been the President of Public Knowledge®.  Stacey is responsible for providing overall direction and leadership for Public Knowledge®, with 20 years of experience working within governmental agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. She also has extensive experience in training development and implementation; leadership assessments and coaching; organizational change management; and organizational development. Stacey received her juris doctorate from the University of Wyoming and is a certified child welfare law specialist (CWLS) and Project Management Institute (PMI) project management professional (PMP). David Kelly Director of the Family Integrity & Justice Works Hyattsville, MD Since 2021, David has been the Director of the Family Integrity & Justice Works at Public Knowledge®.  David has 21 years of experience working with nonprofit and public sectors, including roles at the U.S. Children's Bureau leading the bureau's work with the legal and judicial community nationally and serving on leadership teams across administrations to promote justice, inclusion and voice for children youth and families, empower communities and prevent the need for unnecessary family separation. David has had prior roles serving as Director of Legal and Clinical Services for Covenant House NJ, Senior Assistant Child Advocate with the State of New Jersey Office of the Child Advocate and Assistant Staff Director and Staff Attorney at the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. David received his J.D. from the University at Buffalo Law School and M.A. in political science.

You won't want to miss this episode on race equity with Stephanie S. Franklin, Esq. and Kristen Pisani-Jacques, Training Director at the National Association of Counsel for Children. Stephanie Franklin is the President & CEO of the Franklin Law Group, P.C., a pioneering family justice center in Baltimore that protects the human rights of abused and neglected children in child welfare legal and policy spaces. Recently, Ms. Franklin has been selected as co-counsel in a major federal civil rights class-action lawsuit to protect the civil rights of approximately 3,000 foster care children in Baltimore City. In the episode, Angela talks with Stephanie and Kristen about specific strategies attorneys can use to promote race equity into their work with clients. 

In this episode, Angela and Jim talk with Kristen Pisani-Jacques, Training Director for the National Association of Counsel for Children. They discuss 5 issues facing children's lawyers today, and resources available from the NACC. Even if you are a member, this podcast will give you key information that is available to help you right now. Here are a few links referenced in the episode. COVID-19 Resource Hub: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/CoronavirusCOVID-19 Title IV-E Funding for Legal Representation: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/TitleIVforLegalRepresentation Every Kid Needs a Family: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/EveryKidNeedsAFamilyAttorneyAdvocacyGuide Family First Act & Related Tools: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/FamilyFirst NACC Monthly Webinars: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/memberwebinars_public Become an NACC member!: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/Join  

In this episode, Angela, John & Jim talk with Dr. Rebecca Parnell about working with different types of mental health providers. For more on Dr. Parnell, click here.

In this episode, Angela and John discuss some of the important lessons we learned in 2020, and how children's lawyers can carry these lessons forward to benefit children and families.

In this episode, Angela, John and Jim discuss strategies to help children's lawyers sleep at night. These strategies focus on keeping children safe, and helping lawyers avoid burnout. 

In this episode, Angela, John and Jim discuss some of the risks to children in domestic violence cases. They also share a few interesting strategies you can use the next time you see one of these cases.

In this episode, Angela, John & Jim talk with Dr. Jessica Pryce about racism and the child welfare system. Dr. Pryce is the Director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare at the Florida State University College of Social Work. The discussion focuses on how children's lawyers can address overrepresentation of black families in the child welfare system. We recommend you watch Dr. Pryce's Ted Talk: To Transform Child Welfare, Take Race out of the Equation. Also, we hope you will join as at the NACC Conference beginning August 24th. Click here for more information. 

In this episode, Angela, John and Jim discuss a few books, shows and life tips that are relevant to children's lawyers and the child welfare profession.  We would love to hear from you! Send your feedback or suggestions to info@childrenslaw.org.

In this episode, John, Jim and Angela discuss one of the most difficult types of cases lawyers face - when a client has been severely injured. With everything we are facing today, why would we take this issue on? Unfortunately, Orlando has seen a spike in severe abuse cases, even as the overall numbers of cases is on the decline. You can read more about it in the Orlando Sentinel article or Washington Post article. Increases are also being reported in Texas and Pennsylvania. We don't know if all areas will see this spike, but we do know that most every lawyer who stays in the field long enough will be faced with a client severely injured by a parent or caregiver. This episode highlights a few key strategies and urges lawyers to do an independent review, rather than rushing to judgment.

In this episode, Angela, John and Jim talk about positive developments that are occurring during the pandemic. They may be few and far between, but we are discussing them so you can focus on something positive! Share good practices with us at info@childrenslaw.org. If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe and share with other children's lawyers. Join our mailing list at childrenslaw.org.

In this episode, John, Jim and Angela discuss legal strategies and practices to move your cases forward. While access to courts varies greatly around the country, there are plenty of ways you can help your clients. We are planning to record new episodes weekly to address advocacy during the pandemic, and we would love to hear from you. Let us know what topics would be helpful to you during this time. Email us at info@childrens.law.org. You can also subscribe to our email list on our website: www.childrenslaw.org. Also, click here for an article on the reduction in calls to child abuse hotlines.

In this episode, Angela and John talk with Kristen Pisani-Jacques, Training Director at the National Association of Counsel for Children. The NACC is hosting regular webinars regarding the response of children's lawyers to the COVID-19 pandemic. We cover some of the most actionable ideas so you can put them to work right away.   The NACC also has a resource hub that has many resources for children's lawyers: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/page/CoronavirusCOVID-19   The pandemic is having many effects on our clients and the important people in their lives. We hope some of these ideas will help you take the next step for your clients. 

In this episode, we wrap up Season One by picking our favorite takeaways, and introducing you to Season Two. We recognize that many of you are struggling to provide representation to your clients in this difficult time. We are working on an episode to give you strategies for now, but we know this will come to an end. And with a likely increase in cases coming our way, strategies to get children home will be sorely needed. You can reach us with ideas or questions at info@childrenslaw.org.

In our first episodes of 2020, we have a two part series with Judge Scott Bernstein. Judge Bernstein has served as a Circuit Court Judge in Miami for over 22 years. His passion is working with children and families, and he has become a regular keynote speaker in the area of implicit bias. In this episode, Judge Berstein explains implicit bias, how it affects us all, and what we can do about it. 

In our first episode of 2020, we have a two part series with Judge Scott Bernstein. Judge Bernstein has served as a Circuit Court Judge in Miami for over 22 years. His passion is working with children and families, and he has become a regular keynote speaker in the area of implicit bias. In this episode, Judge Berstein explains implicit bias, how it affects us all, and what we can do about it. 

In this episode, Angela and Bill reveal a secret—that advocating a parent's position can in fact facilitate the quick achievement of permanency. For example, a child's attorney ensuring a parent is promptly referred to providers will help determine whether the case plan's services can be timely achieved.   Advocating for the parent  is, of course, in the name of your client—the removed child.  By moving to compel referrals for the parent, you are pushing the case to permanency within statutory timeframes. And, you are taking the lead in the litigation to further your client's emotional stability. Thank you for listening. We value your feedback. You may email us at info@childrenslaw.org. And please subscribe and rate the podcast, so others can find us.

In this two part series, Angela and Bill interview Leslie Starr Heimov, Executive Director of the Children's Law Center of California. CLC is the largest children's law office in the country, representing about 33,000 children at any given time. In Part One, we talk with Leslie about caseloads, innovative practices and funding models, and strategies to keep children at home. For more information on the Family Justice Initiative, see their website here. We appreciate all of you for listening and we want to hear from you. Please email us at info@childrenslaw.org with your comments.

In this two part series, Angela and Bill interview Leslie Starr Heimov, Executive Director of the Children's Law Center of California.  CLC is the largest children's law office in the country, representing about 33,000 children at any given time. In Part One, we talk with Leslie about caseloads, innovative practices and funding models, and strategies to keep children at home.  We appreciate all of you for listening and we want to hear from you. Please email us at info@childrenslaw.org with your comments.

In this episode, Angela and Bill interview Kim Dvorchak, executive director of the National Association of Counsel for Children. Kim talks with us about The Children's Law Office Project, member resources, and NACC's vision for the future. Here are a few links for you: NACC Website: https://www.naccchildlaw.org/ Link to join: Join here! Family First Resource are here. We enjoyed meeting all of those we interviewed while recording the podcast at the NACC Conference in Anaheim. We are editing those interviews now and will share what we learned with you over future episodes. Please let us know what you think about the podcast by emailing us at info@childrenslaw.org. And thank you for listening.

Did you know that one in five children in the child welfare system identify as LBGTQ+? In this two part episode, Angela and Bill interview Currey Cook. Currey is the Director of the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Counsel of the National Headquarters of Lambda Legal in New York. He co-authored Safe Havens: Closing the Gap Between Recommended Practice for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth in Out-of-Home Care, which offers practical tips to children's lawyers working with the LGBTQ+ population.  It's no surprise that a large percentage of foster children are LGBTQ+. Your caseload undoubtedly contains those who identify as being within this population, whether you know it or not. Prejudices and stigma place added stress on them as they work their way through the foster care system. Consequently, it is important for lawyers to ensure these children's legal rights are protected. Doing so will ensure they are treated fairly and compassionately while in the foster care system. Currey provides insights and tips to help lawyers address these children's issues. We appreciate all of you for listening and we want to hear from you. Please email us at info@childrenslaw.org with your comments.

Did you know that one in five children in the child welfare system identify as LBGTQ+? In this two part episode, Angela and Bill interview Currey Cook. Currey is the Director of the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Counsel of the National Headquarters of Lambda Legal in New York. He co-authored Safe Havens: Closing the Gap Between Recommended Practice for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth in Out-of-Home Care, which offers practical tips to children's lawyers working with the LGBTQ+ population.  It's no surprise that a large percentage of foster children are LGBTQ+. Your caseload undoubtedly contains those who identify as being within this population, whether you know it or not. Prejudices and stigma place added stress on them as they work their way through the foster care system. Consequently, it is important for lawyers to ensure these children's legal rights are protected. Doing so will ensure they are treated fairly and compassionately while in the foster care system. Currey provides insights and tips to help lawyers address these children's issues. We appreciate all of you for listening and we want to hear from you. Please email us at info@childrenslaw.org with your comments. Also, come meet us at the NACC conference in Anaheim on August 27, 2019. We are presenting at the conference as well as recording future episodes of this podcast. We look forward to meeting you.

In this episode, Angela talks with Bill about how he has continued to thrive in his children's law practice. Bill's suggestions have worked for him and we think they can work for you too. Let us know what you think about this podcast. You can email us at info@childrenslaw.org. You can also meet us at the NACC Conference in Anaheim on August 27th where we are presenting on how children's lawyers can transform the child welfare system. Thank you for your support and please subscribe.

The four of us are back together to share tips on how to speak with your child clients. The number one question we get from new attorneys, and sometimes experienced attorneys, is how to communicate with our child clients. The ethics rules require us to treat our child clients close to the same as we treat our adult clients. However, we need to recognize the maturity of our clients. We don't approach every 5 year old the same. Some are surprisingly mature and some are not.  In this podcast, we give you tips on how to talk with your clients. We don't rehash the research and the many articles written. Instead, we encourage you from experience. If you have ever doubted yourself in your communication or ever wanted to give up on a client from feeling ignored, know that we have all had these feelings. It's your persistence and your listening that will help your client gain the trust she needs to open up to you. And to give you the confidence to ensure you are understood.  We want to hear from you. How can we make this podcast better for you?  You can email us at info@childrenslaw.org.

In this two part episode, retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente reflects on her career as a leading judicial voice for the protection and enhancement of the legal rights of children and their corresponding need for emotional stability. While on the bench, she supported the establishment of processes that would minimize the trauma children suffer when removed from their families. She pushed the Florida bench to become a trauma-responsive, developmentally informed court. She also championed lawyers who represented foster children, recognizing the hard, emotional work they put in to assist these children. She envisions a thriving children's law office to include the pairing of child trauma specialists with appropriately trained lawyers for children. This episode is not just for policy wonks. Justice Pariente inspires children's lawyers to be creative and steadfast in their representation of vulnerable clients and their needs. For more information on the family court trauma and child development toolkit mentioned in the episode, please see this link, https://www.flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Court-Improvement/Family-Courts/Family-Court-Basics2/Family-Court-Tool-Kit-Trauma-and-Child-Development

In this two part episode, retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente reflects on her career as a leading judicial voice for the protection and enhancement of the legal rights of children and their corresponding need for emotional stability. While on the bench, she supported the establishment of processes that would minimize the trauma children suffer when removed from their families. She pushed the Florida bench to become a trauma-responsive, developmentally informed court. She also championed lawyers who represented foster children, recognizing the hard, emotional work they put in to assist these children. She envisions a thriving children's law office to include the pairing of child trauma specialists with appropriately trained lawyers for children. This episode is not just for policy wonks. Justice Pariente inspires children's lawyers to be creative and steadfast in their representation of vulnerable clients and their needs. For more information on the family court trauma and child development toolkit mentioned in the episode, please see this link, https://www.flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Court-Improvement/Family-Courts/Family-Court-Basics2/Family-Court-Tool-Kit-Trauma-and-Child-Development

In this episode, Jim interviews Oscar® winners Deborah Oppenheimer and Mark Jonathan Harris about the new HBO documentary “Foster” which begins airing Tuesday, May 7 at 8:00pm. The documentary offers insights from children's lawyers and others in its presentation to upend the myths of foster care. It also highlights the work of the Children's Law Center of California.

BOOM! That quick trip to permanency just came to a screeching halt—for a reason you didn't expect. Or one you chose to ignore. Instead, it's now a very long and arduous journey causing emotional harm to your client. In this podcast, we review a few of the most common obstacles to getting your client to permanency within the legal time frame. You will learn some of the solutions we have used successfully over the years.  We want to hear from you. How can we make this podcast better for you? You can email us at info@childrenslaw.org.

The problem most children's lawyers face is having enough time to do what needs to be done to help all of our clients. High caseloads, lack of support, and backed-up dockets are just some of the stoppers we have all experienced in representing all of our clients effectively and ethically. In this podcast, we talk specifics about one of the solutions to this most vexing conundrum. By keeping your focus on your clients' number one legal problem, you can close your cases faster thereby lessening the potential emotional harm your clients suffer.

What is a family? There's a fear that when our clients turn 18, they will learn that the families they thought they had, do not exist. There was never an emotional connection. There was only a legal one. The heartbreak of this discovery sends a young adult into the world with no emotional or practical support. Despite a child's reliance on a parent never truly ending, we send many a child into the future alone. This is a failure not only to our client, but also to our role as a children's attorney. In this podcast, we share tips to understanding how you can help your client find their family—their forever family. This is not a podcast about adoption selection, but one about all kids in care, whatever their goal.  Listeners - we want to hear from you. How can we make this podcast better for you? You can email us at info@childrenslaw.org.

In this episode, the hosts discuss five common mistakes that are made by children's lawyers. This is primarily a discussion about the relationship between the lawyer and the child, and the ways we inadvertently undermine our efforts.

In this episode, Angela Orkin and Melissa Carter discuss an exciting new federal funding opportunity for children's lawyers.

In this episode, Angela, Bill, Jim and John will discuss the impacts of separating children from their families, and legal strategies to protect clients who must be removed from their parents.

A discussion of five foundational practice points that every children's lawyer should know. These are practical actions that, while easy to overlook, can make a big difference in your advocacy and your relationship with your client.

This episode is a brief introduction to the hosts and the show.