Trial Advocacy for the Child Welfare Lawyer: Telling the Story of the Family was a first of its kind publication and gave lawyers working in child welfare court their first real trial skills book five years ago. Thousands of lawyers became more proficient at trial work because of that seminal publication. Now, the Juvenile Law Society (JLS) has made it even better with Trial Advocacy for the Child Welfare Lawyer: Telling the Story of the Family, Second Edition, by Marvin Ventrell and Patrick Furman. Trials, effectively presented, are stories—stories of mothers, fathers, children—stories of the family. Trial Advocacy for the Child Welfare Lawyer, Second Edition teaches you how to present the story of the family from the unique and powerful perspective of each litigant. From nuts and bolts to advanced practice techniques, each trial skill is treated as a mechanism of persuasion. For the Second Edition, JLS Founder and Director Marvin Ventrell teamed up with his long-time trial skills training partner and highly regarded teacher and trial lawyer, Patrick Furman as co-author. Ventrell and Furman expand the nine essential trial skills of the first edition and have added a new chapter on The Child Witness. From case analysis to opening statement, to witness exam to evidentiary foundations, to objections, to closing argument and professionalism and ethics, Trial Advocacy for the Child Welfare Lawyer, Second Edition prepares the lawyer for children, parents, and state agencies to go to court. Reviews The Juvenile Law Society [JLS] has made a profound contribution to the field of child welfare law with this succinct and practical book. It really should be required reading for all lawyers appearing in child welfare court. It is an artful blending of the essentials of trial advocacy with the particulars of child welfare court. This book will empower attorneys to provide improved advocacy for children, parents, and agencies . . . and that, in turn, will lead to better judicial outcomes for our most vulnerable children and their families. —Jennifer L. Renne, Esq., Director, Capacity Building Center for Courts, American Bar Association

Representing Parents in Child Welfare Cases is a guide for attorneys representing parents accused of parental unfitness due to abuse or neglect. Competent legal representation is often the sole support a parent has when working with the child welfare system. This book provides practical tips for attorneys at each stage of the process.

Stories of attorneys making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable children.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Six Steps to Successful Child Advocacy: Changing the World for Children (by Amy Conley Wright and Kenneth J. Jaffe) offers an interdisciplinary approach to child advocacy, nurturing key skills through a proven six-step process that has been used to train child advocates and create social change around the world. The approach is applicable for micro-advocacy for one child, mezzo-advocacy for a community or group of children, and macro-advocacy at a regional, national, or international level. This practical text offers skill-building activities and includes timely topics such as how to use social media for advocacy. Case studies of advocacy campaigns highlight applied approaches to advocacy across a range of issues, including child welfare, disability, early childhood, and education. Words of wisdom from noted child advocates from the U.S. and around the world, including a foreword from Dr. Jane Goodall, illustrate key concepts. Readers are guided through the process of developing a plan and tools for a real-life child advocacy campaign.

An “ominous and persuasive” study of when violence starts in child development—and the preventive measures to stop it (The New York Times Book Review). This new, revised edition incorporates significant advances in neurobiological research and includes a new introduction by Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, a leading researcher in the field. When Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence was first published, it was lauded for providing scientific evidence that violence can originate in the womb and become entrenched in a child’s brain by preschool. The authors’ groundbreaking conclusions became even more relevant following the wave of school shootings across the nation including the tragedies at Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and shocking subsequent shootings. Following each of these, media coverage and public debate turned yet again to the usual suspects concerning the causes of violence: widespread availability of guns and lack of mental health services for late-stage treatment. Discussion of the impact of trauma on human life—especially early in life during chemical and structural formation of the brain—is missing from the equation. Karr-Morse and Wiley continue to shift the conversation among parents and policy makers toward more fundamental preventative measures against violence. “Karr-Morse and Wiley boldly raise some tough issues . . . [They] start with a grim question—why are children violent?—and they forge a passionate and cogent argument for focusing our collective energies on infancy and parenthood to stop the cycle of ruined lives.” —The Seattle Times

"[T]he best and most useful social science text I have read in a decadeÖ.It is comprehensive in its research and scope, clearly written and uses excellent case studies and examples to illustrate in simple terms what might otherwise be complex phenomena." --Dr. Tom Altobelli Federal Magistrate, Family Law Courts Sydney, Australia The goal of every family law professional and mental health practitioner is to improve family court outcomes in the best interests of the child. This book will assist readers in meeting this critical goal. Developmental Psychology for Family Law Professionals serves as a practical application of developmental theory to the practice of family law. This book helps family law and mental health professionals gain a broader understanding of each child's unique needs when in the midst of family crisis. It presents developmental theories with which professionals might better assess the developmental needs, synchronies, and trajectories of a given child. Ultimately, this book presents guidelines for making appropriate legal decisions and recommendations for children who have experienced crises such as abuse, neglect, relocation, divorce, and much more. Key topics include: Custodial schedules Foster and adoptive care Post-divorce disputes Termination of parental rights Psychological assessment and diagnosis Incarcerated parents and visitation rights Relocation and "distance parenting" Visitation resistance and refusal/reunification Parental Alienation/alignment and estrangement Theories of cognitive, language, and social development