| Guardian ad Litem Practice in Family Court
Cosponsored with the Juvenile Justice Center and Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem, Inc.
Please Note: This course has already
been held.
Date: Thursday, January 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2002
Location: Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
Time: 04:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Faculty
Registration Information
Unable to attend but are interested in the course materials?
Purchase Here! |
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As a Guardian ad Litem, you need to have an understanding of both the legal and psychological aspects of child custody and state intervention cases. The Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Department has recognized the vast understanding needed to effectively serve as a Guardian ad Litem in these complex cases. As a result, the Court now requires GALs to complete a minimum of six hours of professional development each year.
This interdisciplinary program, led by panels of judges and prominent practitioners from the fields of law, psychology, psychiatry and social work provides both legal and clinical foundations for Guardian ad Litem practice in a range of matters, including domestic relations, child abuse and neglect. Sessions I and II of this course provide the fundamentals of a Guardian ad Litem practice. Sessions III and IV are geared toward the experienced Guardian ad Litem. These sessions will provide discussion and insight on some of the complex issues, which you face in your Guardian ad Litem practice. In its entirety, this comprehensive course satisfies the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Department's professional development requirements for Category E, F & G.
Who Should Attend:
This course is geared to attorneys and mental health professionals who serve as Guardian ad Litems in Family Court. Sessions I and II will provide a review of the fundamentals. Sessions III and IV will be geared toward experienced GALs.
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Susan R. Elsen
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Fowlkes, Jacoby & Kaplan, Newton |
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Mel F. Albert
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Natick |
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Philip D. Woodbury
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Healy, Fiske, Woodbury & Richmond, Cambridge |
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Valenda Applegarth
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Greater Boston Legal Services |
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Ruth Rotundo Whitney
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Arlington |
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William M. Levine
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Lee, Levine & Bowser, LLP, Boston |
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Robin M. Deutsch, Ph.D.
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Director of Forensic Services, Children and the Law Program, Department of Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital
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Honorable Mary Ann Sahagian, First Justice
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Probate & Family Court, Essex County |
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Honorable Jeremy A. Stahlin, Associate Justice
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Suffolk Probate & Family Court |
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Honorable Linda S. Fidnick
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Hampshire Probate & Family Court |
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Robert A. Zibbell, Ph.D.
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Tannanbaum & Zibbell, P.C., Framingham, MA |
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Honorable Gail L. Perlman (ret.)
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Hampshire Probate & Family Court |
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Betsy McAliste Groves, LICSW
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Child Witness to Violence Project, Boston Medical Center |
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Margaret Keirstein
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Northampton |
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Janice Bassil, Esq.
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Carney & Bassil, Boston |
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Session I - Thursday, January 10, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Role of the GAL & How to Get Started
- What are the different types of appointments and authority: Next friend, Investigator, Evaluator, etc.?
- How has the court organized the list of types of appointments?
- How to get on the court lists?
- Motion to Clarify GAL Assignment
- The investigation v. evaluation - what type of information is relevant and how to obtain it (restraining orders, affidavits, medical records, police reports, witness statements)
Christine L. Buter, Esq., Moderator Susan R. Elsen, Esq. Honorable Jeremy A. Stahlin Robert A. Zibbell, Ph.D.
Session II - Thursday, January 17, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Report Writing & Testimony
- Access to records
- Lamb Warnings
- How to organize information obtained
- Report writing: format evidentiary issues; facts vs. opinions; attributing
- Testimony at trial depositions - what information is relevant?
- Sample direct and cross examination
- Motion in Limine
Mel F. Albert, Esq.
Janice Bassil, Esq.
Margaret Keirstein, Ed.D.
Honorable Susan D. Ricci
Session III - Thursday, January 24, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
The More You Know, The More You Need to Know...
- Privacy and confidentiality issues
- Recommendations vs. no recommendations
- Domestic and family violence
- Parental/Child Alienation Theory
- Review of the Presumption of Custody Rule
- Specialized issues: specialized knowledge, medical issues; predicting dangerousness; substance abuse/drug and alcohol records
Philip D. Woodbury, Esq.
Valenda Applegarth, Esq.
Betsy McAlister Groves, LICSW
Honorable Gail L. Perlman
Ruth Rotundo Whitney, LICSW
Session IV - Thursday, January 31, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
What You Need to Know & How to Report It
- An in-depth review of the legal standards associated with each type of GAL appointment (modification, removal, best interest v. unfit, custodial presumption, visitation, MGL ch. 209A violations)
- Which elements to include and/or emphasize in the report for each type of appointment
- Role of the on-going GAL
William M. Levine, Esq.
Robin Deutsch, Ph.D.
Linda S. Fidnick, Esq.
Honorable Mary Anne Sahagian
| Date: |
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Thursday, January 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2002 |
| Tuition: |
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$199; $149 for attorneys admitted after 1999 and MAGL members. Tuition for an individual session is $99. Tuition includes refreshments and the course book, which contains information from all sessions.
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| Walk-Ins: |
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Space is limited. Registrations at the door are welcome, but please call to confirm space availability.
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| Refunds: |
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Any cancellations received 24 hours prior to the program will be granted a refund, minus a $15.00 charge. If you cannot attend, you may send a substitute, otherwise you will receive the written materials.
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| Location: |
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Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
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| Credit: |
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Approved for CLE credit in RI, NH, ME, VT & NY. This program, in its entirety, has been approved by the Probate and Family Court Department to satisfy the Category E, F & G continuing professional education requirements. This program also provides 3.5 (or a maximum of 8) CPCS Mental Health credits for each session and 4 CAFL credits per session.
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Special
Needs: |
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If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify us as soon as possible.
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Directions to the Law School.
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Unable to attend but are interested in the course materials?
Purchase Here! |
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