We are accepting submissions from freelance writers for inclusion in this web site. Please refer to our Writers Guidelines. Queries to staff@afaclegal.com
While you wait for our debut, shop our store for articles, reports, books and information selected for child welfare legal practitioners.
We will introduce a monthly case analysis on our blog. Two weeks before each publication, we will publish an actual child welfare case, giving the background and how the case progressed. This Web site will then analyze each actor's participation in that case, and discuss the alternatives that would have brought that case into compliance with the legal mandates, lowered the costs of administering the case, and improved the outcomes for the family members while insuring the safety of the child. At the same time, we will publish a similar analysis for the consumer at our consumer Web site, which will complement the legal analysis contained on this site, but which will be limited to what the parents should have done in the same circumstance.
While you wait for our debut, shop our store for articles, reports, books and information selected for child welfare legal practitioners.
We will introduce a monthly case analysis on our blog. Two weeks before each publication, we will publish an actual child welfare case, giving the background and how the case progressed. This Web site will then analyze each actor's participation in that case, and discuss the alternatives that would have brought that case into compliance with the legal mandates, lowered the costs of administering the case, and improved the outcomes for the family members while insuring the safety of the child. At the same time, we will publish a similar analysis for the consumer at our consumer Web site, which will complement the legal analysis contained on this site, but which will be limited to what the parents should have done in the same circumstance.
American Family Advocacy Center is now directing our services and resources to the legal profession. In cooperation with Family Rights Advocacy Institute, a non-profit provider of accredited Continuing Legal Education to judges and attorneys who administer child welfare cases or represent parents and children in child welfare cases, we are providing a diverse array of information and resources to legal professionals who practice in the child welfare law arena.
Our services are not directed to custody or domestic relations cases. We only offer information and resources for cases where a state child protection agency is conducting an investigation, or where the court has assumed jurisdiction over the children under state dependency statutes.
We will feature advice on managing your clients--be they children or parents, case management and business management. Understanding that many attorneys who represent respondent parents and dependent children are court-appointed, we will provide information and resources for minimizing the time and office resources needed for each case without sacrificing the quality of representation your client is entitled to.
We know these clients. They are much more savvy and knowledgable about their rights and expect more from attorneys than before. They use the Internet to learn all they can, but are unable to discern the good from the bad. They demand a higher standard of representation while demanding you submit absurd arguments and documents to the court. They lie to you. They are emotionally volatile due to the nature of these cases. They can wear you down with their constant demands. They abuse you and the agency caseworkers, and sabotage their own cases.The stress factor for competent attorneys working with these clients can be overwhelming.
We know the professionals administering these cases. They are not infallible, but they act like they are. They rub your client the wrong way and incite your client to act out improperly in response. You wonder if they made your client crazy by virtue of their involvement of if your client was crazy before they got involved. Your client claims they are lying about him, and sometimes they are. They often come on too aggressive, they get highly defensive. They lie to you, telling you one thing and the court something entirely different, keeping you off balance until you simply want to acquiesce to their demands just to relieve the stress of being pulled in multiple directions.
We know these courts. Docketing dozens of cases and not allowing sufficient time for you to present your client's arguments and evidence. Running from courtroom to courtroom to represent numerous clients on court day, and not even daring to request contested hearings. We've seen persistent lawyers succeed in the face of hostile, case-dealing judges, and win them over with the right arguments. We've also seen court-appointments vanish when counsel is too successful in representing their clients. With new attorneys relying on the meager compensation for court appointments to make their monthly nut, this withdrawal of income can make or break a fledgling law practice. Sometimes the risk is too great to antagonize a judge who determines court appointments, by demanding your client's rights, and frustrated, you fell you have no choice but to compromises your principles to pay the bills.
Judges, we know the stresses and conflicts you face during these hearings. The parties have not done even the minimal legitimate preparation for these hearings, and they lie to you. Caseworkers argue their caseload is too high and they didn't have a chance to get the services set up for this client, and demand the child remain in foster care even longer as the clock ticks. GALs have yet to see their client and offer nothing of substance upon which to base your decisions, and you seriously consider sanctions for his failure to properly represent his child client, but what would that accomplish? Parents show up in court improperly dressed, the mothers dress like sluts and the fathers look like bums, leaving you to conclude maybe they did deserve to have their kiddies taken. To top it off, they are crying or shouting or making threats, disrupting the decorum of these proceedings and making a difficult job even harder. When all is said and done, you have not been presented with adequate evidence or arguments upon which to base a valid decision, and you can only rubber stamp the agency requests and move on to the next case. But you worry whether what all these professionals are doing to this family is really in the best interests of the child or is it making a marginal situation worse than it needs to be?
We know the forces pulling you in different directions. We know the legalities and the practicalities associated with this kind of case. If you are a legal professional who wants to improve your practice, we can help.
Our services are not directed to custody or domestic relations cases. We only offer information and resources for cases where a state child protection agency is conducting an investigation, or where the court has assumed jurisdiction over the children under state dependency statutes.
We will feature advice on managing your clients--be they children or parents, case management and business management. Understanding that many attorneys who represent respondent parents and dependent children are court-appointed, we will provide information and resources for minimizing the time and office resources needed for each case without sacrificing the quality of representation your client is entitled to.
We know these clients. They are much more savvy and knowledgable about their rights and expect more from attorneys than before. They use the Internet to learn all they can, but are unable to discern the good from the bad. They demand a higher standard of representation while demanding you submit absurd arguments and documents to the court. They lie to you. They are emotionally volatile due to the nature of these cases. They can wear you down with their constant demands. They abuse you and the agency caseworkers, and sabotage their own cases.The stress factor for competent attorneys working with these clients can be overwhelming.
We know the professionals administering these cases. They are not infallible, but they act like they are. They rub your client the wrong way and incite your client to act out improperly in response. You wonder if they made your client crazy by virtue of their involvement of if your client was crazy before they got involved. Your client claims they are lying about him, and sometimes they are. They often come on too aggressive, they get highly defensive. They lie to you, telling you one thing and the court something entirely different, keeping you off balance until you simply want to acquiesce to their demands just to relieve the stress of being pulled in multiple directions.
We know these courts. Docketing dozens of cases and not allowing sufficient time for you to present your client's arguments and evidence. Running from courtroom to courtroom to represent numerous clients on court day, and not even daring to request contested hearings. We've seen persistent lawyers succeed in the face of hostile, case-dealing judges, and win them over with the right arguments. We've also seen court-appointments vanish when counsel is too successful in representing their clients. With new attorneys relying on the meager compensation for court appointments to make their monthly nut, this withdrawal of income can make or break a fledgling law practice. Sometimes the risk is too great to antagonize a judge who determines court appointments, by demanding your client's rights, and frustrated, you fell you have no choice but to compromises your principles to pay the bills.
Judges, we know the stresses and conflicts you face during these hearings. The parties have not done even the minimal legitimate preparation for these hearings, and they lie to you. Caseworkers argue their caseload is too high and they didn't have a chance to get the services set up for this client, and demand the child remain in foster care even longer as the clock ticks. GALs have yet to see their client and offer nothing of substance upon which to base your decisions, and you seriously consider sanctions for his failure to properly represent his child client, but what would that accomplish? Parents show up in court improperly dressed, the mothers dress like sluts and the fathers look like bums, leaving you to conclude maybe they did deserve to have their kiddies taken. To top it off, they are crying or shouting or making threats, disrupting the decorum of these proceedings and making a difficult job even harder. When all is said and done, you have not been presented with adequate evidence or arguments upon which to base a valid decision, and you can only rubber stamp the agency requests and move on to the next case. But you worry whether what all these professionals are doing to this family is really in the best interests of the child or is it making a marginal situation worse than it needs to be?
We know the forces pulling you in different directions. We know the legalities and the practicalities associated with this kind of case. If you are a legal professional who wants to improve your practice, we can help.
About This Publication
AFAC Legal Resources is a resource for attorneys who practice in the arena of child welfare, and for judges who hear child welfare cases. It will feature periodic articles and CLE classes to improve representation of parents and children, articles discussing solutions to the esoteric problems associated with these cases including dealing with clients, activists, media and service providers, and business management suggestions to work smarter and more profitably.
This publication is presented in cooperation with Family Rights Advocacy Institute, a provider of accredited CLE training to attorneys and judges practicing child welfare law since 2005.
This publication is strictly for attorneys, and a state bar registration/attorney regulation license number will be required to obtain access to the content of this Web site.
Look for our debut on or before May 1, 2011.
We are offering a discounted charter membership before our debut. We will be discounting the first year's members subscription by 50%, for those who sign up before our debut. The annual membership subscription will renew on the anniversary date of the debut of this publication so you will get the full twelve months before you must renew. You may request to be notified when this offer is activated using the contact form in the menu.
Thank you for your interest.
staff@afaclegal.com
AFAC Legal Resources is a resource for attorneys who practice in the arena of child welfare, and for judges who hear child welfare cases. It will feature periodic articles and CLE classes to improve representation of parents and children, articles discussing solutions to the esoteric problems associated with these cases including dealing with clients, activists, media and service providers, and business management suggestions to work smarter and more profitably.
This publication is presented in cooperation with Family Rights Advocacy Institute, a provider of accredited CLE training to attorneys and judges practicing child welfare law since 2005.
This publication is strictly for attorneys, and a state bar registration/attorney regulation license number will be required to obtain access to the content of this Web site.
Look for our debut on or before May 1, 2011.
We are offering a discounted charter membership before our debut. We will be discounting the first year's members subscription by 50%, for those who sign up before our debut. The annual membership subscription will renew on the anniversary date of the debut of this publication so you will get the full twelve months before you must renew. You may request to be notified when this offer is activated using the contact form in the menu.
Thank you for your interest.
staff@afaclegal.com
What do you offer?
Family Rights Advocacy Institute offers tested and proven training, education and resources for legal professionals who practice child welfare law. This includes Judges, Guardians ad litem and respondent parent attorneys. It also includes legal professionals who represent children during these cases in a capacity other than GAL.
The information offered is proprietary to American Family Advocacy Center, and therefore the web site is not open to the public. Only licensed attorneys can obtain access to the information included on that site. This means your clients will never know the information contained on that site, nor will any untrained and uncertified family advocate who might be meddling in your client's case.
We have honed the management of these cases to a science. The cases follow a predictable pattern, making the management of these cases very simple. Much of the information provided will come directly out of FRAI accredited CLE training.
We provide legal strategies, sample pleadings for any number of scenarios, memorandums of law on important issues associated with these cases and more. We are responsive to the changes in child welfare law in all fifty states, and provide analysis and discussion on ramifications and potential outcomes.
We will feature a monthly case analysis, breaking down an actual child welfare case as it happened, and offering solutions to the errors in the way the case was managed.
There are regular articles offered by a variety of authors and experts discussing various aspects of your legal practice including business management, client management, and case management, which are designed to make your practice less stressful, more profitable and to improve the outcomes for your clients.
We also make community resources available to your law practice to assist with your case management and client management.
The information offered is proprietary to American Family Advocacy Center, and therefore the web site is not open to the public. Only licensed attorneys can obtain access to the information included on that site. This means your clients will never know the information contained on that site, nor will any untrained and uncertified family advocate who might be meddling in your client's case.
We have honed the management of these cases to a science. The cases follow a predictable pattern, making the management of these cases very simple. Much of the information provided will come directly out of FRAI accredited CLE training.
We provide legal strategies, sample pleadings for any number of scenarios, memorandums of law on important issues associated with these cases and more. We are responsive to the changes in child welfare law in all fifty states, and provide analysis and discussion on ramifications and potential outcomes.
We will feature a monthly case analysis, breaking down an actual child welfare case as it happened, and offering solutions to the errors in the way the case was managed.
There are regular articles offered by a variety of authors and experts discussing various aspects of your legal practice including business management, client management, and case management, which are designed to make your practice less stressful, more profitable and to improve the outcomes for your clients.
We also make community resources available to your law practice to assist with your case management and client management.
What makes your products so special?
Simply put, they work. With these methods, you work smarter, not harder.
When the business methods offered on this web site are competently employed by counsel, reunification occurs at a rate of over 90%. Reunification occurs more quickly, often taking days or weeks instead of months or years. The outcomes for the children include less time in foster care and a very low rate of recidivism on the part of the parents. The expenses associated with this case are drastically reduced.
Distractions are kept to a minimum. Resistance to agency demands proves not be futile when properly addressed. Clients who feel empowered tend to be less aggressive, and stop seeking help from unreliable sources. Judges love it when you appear, and you develop a reputation for vigorous advocacy based on creative and reasonable solutions. You find yourself presenting win/win situations, and your frustration level decreases.
AFAC has spent nearly two decades researching, devising and testing the methods we recommend. We have developed a method whereby everybody can feel like they win, and the outcomes for the children are far superior to the existing outcomes. Our adversaries have call our director, "a strategist of uncommon ability." She is an expert on this issue, and presentations designed and presented by her have been accredited for CLE credits in five states. We now bring that expertise to you in a medium that is convenient and affordable.
When the business methods offered on this web site are competently employed by counsel, reunification occurs at a rate of over 90%. Reunification occurs more quickly, often taking days or weeks instead of months or years. The outcomes for the children include less time in foster care and a very low rate of recidivism on the part of the parents. The expenses associated with this case are drastically reduced.
Distractions are kept to a minimum. Resistance to agency demands proves not be futile when properly addressed. Clients who feel empowered tend to be less aggressive, and stop seeking help from unreliable sources. Judges love it when you appear, and you develop a reputation for vigorous advocacy based on creative and reasonable solutions. You find yourself presenting win/win situations, and your frustration level decreases.
AFAC has spent nearly two decades researching, devising and testing the methods we recommend. We have developed a method whereby everybody can feel like they win, and the outcomes for the children are far superior to the existing outcomes. Our adversaries have call our director, "a strategist of uncommon ability." She is an expert on this issue, and presentations designed and presented by her have been accredited for CLE credits in five states. We now bring that expertise to you in a medium that is convenient and affordable.
Are you those kooky family advocates?
We are well aware of those kooky family advocates. They are imitators who latched onto a good idea created by AFAC, but, due to their ignorance, did it all wrong. We agree, they do harm your ability to effectively represent your client, and they harm the cases they are involved in. This is a problem that is pervasive in these cases. We do not endorse nor support their efforts in this arena, and do our best to expose them when we find them and to also educate the consumer about the dangers of associating with them.
Having said that, while we do offer solutions that could involve the use of family advocates if you so choose, we take great care to train and supervise the advocates we recommend. Our trained and certified advocates are taught to work with the attorney's style, and to only perform the tasks the attorney requests. They can, among other things, competently assess a case at the start, document events, interview and prepare witnesses, write pleadings for attorney review, and manage the client to keep him on track, out of your hair, and presenting appropriately at all time. They have sat at counsel table to assist with the case presentation, positioned between the attorney and client to intercept notes and preserve client decorum, so the attorney can focus on his job. They insure the client appears properly dressed and instructs them on expected courtroom conduct. They participate in staffings when the attorney cannot, and facilitates client compliance with all requirements. They have even picked up the out-of-town attorney at the airport, driven him to court, and returned him to the airport.
You decide whether or not you want to use that resource. All we want to do is provide a selection of effective tools to improve your practice and client outcomes. A trained and certified Family Advocate is just one of many tools available, and it is a resource with extremely limited availability, so it is unlikely one would even be available for your law practice.
As always, what tools you choose and what you do with them are strictly up to you.
Having said that, while we do offer solutions that could involve the use of family advocates if you so choose, we take great care to train and supervise the advocates we recommend. Our trained and certified advocates are taught to work with the attorney's style, and to only perform the tasks the attorney requests. They can, among other things, competently assess a case at the start, document events, interview and prepare witnesses, write pleadings for attorney review, and manage the client to keep him on track, out of your hair, and presenting appropriately at all time. They have sat at counsel table to assist with the case presentation, positioned between the attorney and client to intercept notes and preserve client decorum, so the attorney can focus on his job. They insure the client appears properly dressed and instructs them on expected courtroom conduct. They participate in staffings when the attorney cannot, and facilitates client compliance with all requirements. They have even picked up the out-of-town attorney at the airport, driven him to court, and returned him to the airport.
You decide whether or not you want to use that resource. All we want to do is provide a selection of effective tools to improve your practice and client outcomes. A trained and certified Family Advocate is just one of many tools available, and it is a resource with extremely limited availability, so it is unlikely one would even be available for your law practice.
As always, what tools you choose and what you do with them are strictly up to you.