Interviewing and Counseling a Child Client
Sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the ABA Center for Pro Bono, the ABA Section of Litigation's Children's Rights Litigation Committee and ABA-CLE
Faculty:
Marguerite
C. Gualtieri, Philadelphia, PA
Angela
C. Vigil, Chicago, IL
Interviewing and counseling a child client can be a challenge even for the most experienced attorney if he or she is only used to dealing with adult clients. In this program Marguerite Gualtieri and Angela Vigil examine how child clients differ from adult clients, what that means for the lawyer representing them and what the lawyer can do to develop a trusting relationship with the child client, and represent and counsel them effectively, despite the barriers. The faculty come to this subject with a wealth of relevant expertise. Ms. Gualtieri is managing attorney at the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which provides direct representation to child clients and technical assistance and support to volunteer attorneys. Ms. Vigil is Director of Pro Bono and Public Service for North America for the law firm of Baker & McKenzie, and a former clinical assistant professor and Director of the Children's Law Pro Bono Project at the Children and Family Justice Center of the Northwestern University Legal Clinic in Chicago,
Ms. Gualtieri and Ms. Vigil discuss how the age, the level of development, the language proficiency and the life experience of the child might impact on what the lawyer needs to do to develop a trusting relationship with their client. They explain how the lawyer representing a child might need to go to other sources to find the information an adult client would normally be able to provide. They show how critical it can be to understand the living situation of the child client. Finally they explore effective techniques for interviewing and counseling children, giving practical advice on the settings, word usages, explanations, questioning techniques and questions that will help the lawyer to communicate clearly and comfortably with the child client. In addition to accompanying written materials the program also provides links to relevant Web sites.
Duration:
53 minutes
Credit Hours: 0.88 Hours in a 60-Minute State, 1.06 Hours in
a 50-Minute State
Produced on June 16, 2006
MCLE credit is subject to each state's regulations. Some states do not approve online courses for MCLE credit or have specific rules regarding who may earn credit or the maximum number of credit hours that may be earned through online CLE. Please contact your state if you have any questions.
