2008 Spring CLE Conference
April 30-May 3, 2008
Chicago Marriott Downtown (Magnificent Mile)
Chicago, IL
Speaker Biographies
Click on speaker names to read biographies. Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name. You can also click on a session title (included in each speaker's biography) for more information about that program.
Stephen J. Anderer, Ph.D., J.D.
Stephen J. Anderer is a partner in the Family Law Department at Schnader Harrison Segal &
Lewis LLP. He is responsible for a full range of family law matters and psychological
issues that arise in other legal matters. His particular areas of concentration include
divorce, child custody, civil competency, psychological and neuropsychological damages,
civil commitment, duty-to-warn and licensing and malpractice complaints against mental health
professionals. Dr. Anderer's pro bono efforts include representation of children in abuse,
neglect and child custody matters and mental health issues in death penalty cases. Dr.
Anderer received his B.A. degree from Yale University, his J.D. from Villanova University
School of Law and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from MCP/Hahnemann University
(now Drexel University). He writes and speaks frequently on issues involving psychology and
law. His writings include a monograph entitled Determining Competency in Guardianship
Proceedings that he wrote for the American Bar Association and a book he co-authored
for the American Psychological Association entitled Law for
Mental Health Professionals—Pennsylvania. He also is the co-author of the 2000
Supplement to Coping with Psychiatric and Psychological Testimony and a contributor
to the sixth edition of that book, which will be published by Oxford University Press.
Dr. Anderer was honored as a "Distinguished Advocate" by the Support Center for Child
Advocates in 2001 and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Admissibility of Expert Testimony in Cases of Disputed Custody
Jeff Atkinson teaches at DePaul University College of Law,
Chicago, and serves as a professor-reporter for the Illinois
Judicial Conference, responsible for training judges in Family Law.
He is the author of Modern Child Custody Practice—Second Edition (LexisNexis 2007),
a two-volume treatise that has been cited by the United States Supreme Court and the
supreme courts of eleven states. He also is the author of The American Bar Association
Guide to Marriage, Divorce & Families (Random House 2006), a book for the general public.
In addition, Professor Atkinson serves as a reporter and advisor to the Uniform Law
Commissioners, and is assisting the commissioners in developing a uniform law on
relocation of children. Jeff Atkinson was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1977.
He lives in Wilmette, Illinois.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Legal and Clinical Issues in Cases of Relocation
William G. Austin, Ph.D. is a practicing clinical and forensic psychologist in
Northwest Colorado and Denver area. He is the author of numerous articles on
forensic methodology for conducting child custody evaluations that are
research-based with practical applications. He has developed forensic models
of risk assessment for child custody evaluation for the two instances of
relocation and domestic violence. These models are currently being widely
applied by custody evaluators across the country. He has also developed a
forensic model for considering collateral sources of information in custody
evaluation. He was the co-chair of the task force that completed the AFCC Model
Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluation. He lives and practices in
Colorado and has a national consulting practice in forensic psychology with a
specialization in child custody evaluation. He offers services of evaluation,
work product review, general testimony, and case consultation.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Legal and Clinical Issues in Cases of Relocation
Katharine T. Bartlett, A. Kenneth Pye Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law,
served as dean of Duke's law school from 2000-2007. She teaches family law, gender and law, and
contracts, and publishes widely in the fields of family law, gender theory, employment law,
theories of social change, and legal education. She has the leading casebook (with Deborah Rhode)
in the area of gender law. She is best known for her publications on the law's treatment of
children and rights to children when the premise of the nuclear family has failed, and feminist legal theory.
Professor Bartlett served as a Reporter for the American Law Institute's Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution (2002), for which she was responsible for the provisions relating to child custody. For her work on this project, she was named R. Ammi Cutter Chair in 1998.
Professor Bartlett earned her degrees at Wheaton College, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Before coming to Duke, she was a law clerk on the California Supreme Court and a legal services attorney in Oakland, California. She has been a visiting professor at UCLA, Boston University, New York University, and Columbia, and a Fellow at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1994, she won the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award at Duke University.
Session:
Professor Bartlett served as a Reporter for the American Law Institute's Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution (2002), for which she was responsible for the provisions relating to child custody. For her work on this project, she was named R. Ammi Cutter Chair in 1998.
Professor Bartlett earned her degrees at Wheaton College, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Before coming to Duke, she was a law clerk on the California Supreme Court and a legal services attorney in Oakland, California. She has been a visiting professor at UCLA, Boston University, New York University, and Columbia, and a Fellow at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1994, she won the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award at Duke University.
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Custody Decision-Making Standards: A Debate
Lewis Becker is a Professor of Law at Villanova University School of Law, where he teaches
both Family Law and Professional Ethics. He is a longtime member of the ABA Family Law
Section, having held many leadership positions within the Section. He has
written and lectured extensively on the intersection of family law and professional ethics.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Legal Ethics in Child Custody Proceedings
James N. Bow, Ph.D. received his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is a
licensed psychologist and Board Certified in Forensic Psychology, American Board of Professional
Psychology. Dr. Bow is Director of Psychology at Hawthorn Center in Northville, Michigan,
and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Neurosciences at Wayne State University (WSU). He is also involved in Independent
Forensic Practice at University Psychiatric Center (UPC)-Livonia, a
WSU affiliated clinic. He was previously a consultant to the Child Custody Program at UPC-Livonia from
1995 through 2003; he taught and supervised psychiatric residents and psychology interns in
performing child custody evaluations. He continues to provide seminars for residents and
interns on forensic topics. Dr. Bow has conducted a variety of research studies on child
custody practice and has published numerous articles widely cited in the field.
He is also on the editorial board for the Journal of Child Custody.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Hearsay: Uses & Problems in Child Custody Proceedings
Sanford Braver is a Professor in the Psychology Department at Arizona State University,
where he has served for over 35 years, having received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the
University of Michigan in 1971. His primary research interest over the last 20 years,
in connection with Arizona State University's Prevention Research Center, is in the dynamics
of divorcing families. To support this work he has been the recipient of 17 competitively
reviewed, primarily federal, research grants, totaling almost $20 million.
His work has been published in close to 100 peer-reviewed professional
articles and chapters and in the acclaimed 1998 book Divorced Dads:
Shattering the Myths (Tarcher/Penguin-Putnam). This book was a report
of his ground-breaking work leading the largest federally-supported
research project ever conducted on divorced fathers. As perhaps the
leading expert in the country on the dynamics of fathering after
divorce, he is in demand as a consultant to such entities as
President Clinton's National Fatherhood Initiative, the National
Commission for Child and Family Welfare, and states such as
Washington, New York, Colorado, Oklahoma, Ohio and Massachusetts.
He was a long term member of the State of Arizona's Domestic
Relations Reform Subcommittee and served on the original Standards
Committee setting guidelines for delivery of Arizona's Divorcing
Parent Education Program. He currently serves on the Editorial
Boards of the professional journals Family Court Review and
Fatherhood, and reviews for multiple additional professional
journals. Braver has received Vice-president Gore's Reinventing
Government Award, and both the President's Award and the 2007
Stanley Cohen Distinguished Contribution to Research Award from
the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He work has been
quoted widely in news media, including U.S. News and World Report,
New York Times, USA Today, and was featured in a segment on January 7, 2000 of ABC News' 20/20.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Separation/Divorce Education Programs
Pamila J. Brown has served as an Associate Judge for the
District Court in Howard, Maryland since 2002. In that capacity she presides over
civil, criminal, domestic and
traffic cases. Judge Brown received her J.D. from the University of Baltimore
School of Law, after earning a B.S. in Political Science from Macalester College
in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served as Maryland Assistant Attorney General and an Assistant Solicitor in the Baltimore Law Department. She is a frequent lecturer locally and nationally on tort liability, litigation techniques, gender equity, domestic violence, trial advocacy and professionalism. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore Law School and on the faculty of the Southeastern National Institute of Trial Advocacy, (NITA), the Maryland Judicial Institute and a lecturer for the Defense Research Institute (DRI).
Judge Brown is the former Chair of the ABA Government Lawyers Division and has served on numerous Standing and Special committees. She is currently serving as the Chair of the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Conference of Specialized Trial Court Judges. Judge Brown's civic activities are extensive and include past service as President of the Baltimore YWCA, and Past President of the Bar Association of Baltimore City.
Judge Brown's honors include being named as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women, Alumnus of the Year at the University of Baltimore Law School, the Office of the Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award, the Leadership in the Law Award from "The Daily Record" and the Brent-Mitchell Award from the Baltimore Bar. She has also been recognized nationally and is the recipient of the prestigious American Bar Association Nelson Award and in 2007 Judge Brown received "The Difference Maker Award" from the ABA General Practice and Solo Firm Division. She resides in Columbia, Maryland, with her husband and sixteen-year-old twins.
Session:
Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served as Maryland Assistant Attorney General and an Assistant Solicitor in the Baltimore Law Department. She is a frequent lecturer locally and nationally on tort liability, litigation techniques, gender equity, domestic violence, trial advocacy and professionalism. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore Law School and on the faculty of the Southeastern National Institute of Trial Advocacy, (NITA), the Maryland Judicial Institute and a lecturer for the Defense Research Institute (DRI).
Judge Brown is the former Chair of the ABA Government Lawyers Division and has served on numerous Standing and Special committees. She is currently serving as the Chair of the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Conference of Specialized Trial Court Judges. Judge Brown's civic activities are extensive and include past service as President of the Baltimore YWCA, and Past President of the Bar Association of Baltimore City.
Judge Brown's honors include being named as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women, Alumnus of the Year at the University of Baltimore Law School, the Office of the Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award, the Leadership in the Law Award from "The Daily Record" and the Brent-Mitchell Award from the Baltimore Bar. She has also been recognized nationally and is the recipient of the prestigious American Bar Association Nelson Award and in 2007 Judge Brown received "The Difference Maker Award" from the ABA General Practice and Solo Firm Division. She resides in Columbia, Maryland, with her husband and sixteen-year-old twins.
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Domestic Violence in Cases of Disputed Custody
Bonita G. Cade, PhD, JD earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Michigan, and a Masters from Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, and a Doctorate
from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa and law degree from Washington University School
of Law, St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Cade has taught at Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy,
Massachusetts and University of Massachusetts, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
Dr. Cade is on the APA Taskforce for the Implementation of Multicultural
Guidelines and the Joint APA/ABA Collaborative Working Group on Psychological
Evaluation and Assessment under the auspices of the overarching American
Psychological Association/American Bar Association Steering Committee on
Children, Families, Divorce, and Custody. Currently she is engaged in
private practice as a forensic psychologist and a lawyer. Dr. Cade is an Assistant
Professor at Roger Williams University in Bristol Rhode Island. Dr. Cade was the
2007 Chair of the American Psychological Associations Committee on Legal Issues (COLI).
Dr. Cade has received trained to develop and deliver workshops on multiculturalism and
diversity in the workplace. She has done workshops on issues related to multiculturalism
for the American Academy of Forensic Psychologists and for Police Civil Rights Officers in
Rhode Island. Dr. Cade is a member of the bar in Missouri, New York and Massachusetts and
is a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts.
Session:
Session:
Mary Connell, Ed.D., ABPP is board certified as a forensic psychologist by the
American Board of Professional Psychology. She is in independent practice in
Texas and works primarily in family and other civil matters. She provides
training on parenting assessment and forensic ethics in workshops sponsored
by the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. She is co-author, with Shane
Bush and Robert Denny, of Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology:
A Systematic Model for Decision Making (2006) published by APA.
Sessions:
Sessions:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Custody Evaluation Standards and Guidelines: Setting the Frame - May 3 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Working Groups' Reports
Dr. Copeland received his B.A. Degree from the University of Rochester in 1969, a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont in 1974, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986. Dr. Copeland maintains clinical appointments at the Children's Hospital National Medical Center and the George Washington University School of Medicine. He has been active in the American Psychological Association serving as Secretary-Treasurer of the Association for the Advancement of Psychology (AAP), a representative for the APA's Joint Commission on Inter-Professional Affairs (JCIA), and has served as a three-year member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Legal Issues for the Association. Dr. Copeland has lectured widely to legal and mental health groups including the Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and Montgomery County Bar Associations. He has also presented to the Advanced Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, the annual Judicial Conference of Virginia for District Court Judges, and the annual Judicial Institute of Maryland for Circuit Court Judges and Domestic Relations Masters. Dr. Copeland has participated in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars review of the American Law Institute's principles of family law and dissolution as well as being recently named as a representative for the American Psychological Association's participation in a joint endeavor with the American Bar Association to examine the role of custody evaluation and family law. Dr. Copeland maintains a current clinical practice focusing very substantially on interventions with families of divorce and has worked extensively as both a custody evaluator and a parent coordinator. In the latter regard, Dr. Copeland has recently participated in the American Psychological Association's pro bono Project on Parent Coordination and has participated in the generation of a training film for parent coordinators.
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Parent Coordinators: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Howard Davidson has been actively involved with the legal aspects of child protection for over 33 years.
He has directed the ABA Center on Children and the Law since its 1978 establishment.
It provides extensive training, technical assistance, consulting, and publications for lawyers,
child welfare agencies, juvenile (dependency) courts, and programs that provide legal
representation in these cases.
He has chaired the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect and is a founding board member of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He has authored many legal articles, book chapters, and other materials on child maltreatment and the law. In the 1970's he spent five years as a legal services attorney exclusively representing children in juvenile court and created the Children's Law Project at Greater Boston Legal Services, one of the country's first children's law centers. In 2006 Mr. Davidson was asked by ABA President, Karen Mathis, to help direct a new ABA Commission on Youth at Risk.
Session:
He has chaired the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect and is a founding board member of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He has authored many legal articles, book chapters, and other materials on child maltreatment and the law. In the 1970's he spent five years as a legal services attorney exclusively representing children in juvenile court and created the Children's Law Project at Greater Boston Legal Services, one of the country's first children's law centers. In 2006 Mr. Davidson was asked by ABA President, Karen Mathis, to help direct a new ABA Commission on Youth at Risk.
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Families in Turmoil: Reducing Risk and Fostering Resilience in Chidren and Youth
Robin M. Deutsch is a psychologist and the Director of Forensic Services of the
Children and the Law Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General
Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. As a therapist,
consultant, custody evaluator, mediator, and parenting coordinator, her work has focused on the
application of child development research to children's adjustment to divorce and parenting
issues, the evaluation of families involved in family change and management of high conflict
divorce. Dr. Deutsch has co-authored published articles on the effects of high conflict
divorce, the evaluation of domestic violence, management of cases of Munchausen by Proxy,
Parenting Coordination, developmentally appropriate parenting plans, and attachment
considerations. She is the co-author of 7 Things Your Teenager Can't Tell
You (and How to Talk About Them Anyway) (Ballantine, 2005).
Dr. Deutsch is the co-chair of the APA-ABA Working Group on Psychological and Legal
Interventions with Parents, Children and Families and the APA-ABA Working Group on
Alleged Abuse, Neglect, and Endangerment. She is President-elect of the
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and the former
president of the Massachusetts chapter of AFCC. She is also a member
of the AFCC Task Force that developed Guidelines for Parenting Coordination
(2005), and the Massachusetts task force that wrote
"Planning for Shared Parenting: a Guide for Parents Living Apart".
Dr. Deutsch is the former Chair of the American Psychological Association Ethics
Committee (2007) and was a member of the American Bar Association Child
Custody Pro Bono Project. Dr. Deutsch is frequently invited to provide educational
and scientific presentations to judges, lawyers, and mental health professionals in
the United States and Canada. She is a 2006 recipient of the American Psychological
Association Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award for Advocacy.
Sessions:
Sessions:
- May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Parent Coorinators: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Leslie M. Drozd, Ph.D. is the editor of the Journal of Child Custody and a psychologist
in independent practice in Newport Beach, California. Her forensic and clinical practice
centers around issues related to families—ones with marriage and divorce issues
including those having to do with parenting and co-parenting,
child custody, family violence, substance abuse, post-divorce co-parenting issues.
She is coauthor of The Missing Piece: Solving the Puzzle of Self with Claudia Black.
Dr. Drozd is also the author, co-author, or co-editor of numerous professional
books and articles including Psychological Testing in Child Custody Cases,
Child Sexual Abuse Allegations in Child Custody Cases, Relocation Issues in Child Custody,
Self as the Mediator in the Psychopathology of Children of Alcoholics;
Safety First: A Model for Understanding Domestic Violence in Child Custody
and Access Disputes; Is It Abuse, Alienation, and/or Estrangement?
Domestic Violence: True or False, and the National Council of Juvenile and
Family Court Judges' Bench Book for Family and Juvenile Court Judges on
Navigating Domestic Violence in Child Custody Cases. She was a member
of the Association of Family and Conciliation Court's Child Custody
Evaluation Task Force to develop model standards of practice and is
a member of the American Psychological Association/American Bar
Association Working Group on Issues of Alleged Abuse, Neglect,
and Endangerment. She has spoken nationally and internationally
on child custody, domestic violence. alienation, and substance abuse.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Domestic Violence in Cases of Disputed Custody
Brigid Duffield owns The Law Office of Brigid A. Duffield P.C., established in 1984.
Her practice is concentrated in Family Law. Brigid is a Trained Mediator and an
approved Association for Conflict Resolution Trainer. She is also trained in the
Collaborative Method and is versed in resolving family disputes in a variety of manners.
Ms. Duffield's expertise and broad knowledge of family law and conflict resolution technique has afforded her the opportunity to speak on a variety of legal and professionalism topics for Bar Associations, Cable Media programs, local community groups as well as companies concerned with employee assistance issues. She is the owner of a second company, Legally Speaking, Inc., which has as its primary purpose the goal to educate the legal community, mental health professionals and the public on ways to resolve conflict with a special emphasis on addiction and impairments.
She has authored articles on mediation, family law, and assistance for the impaired lawyer. She is in the process of completing her book scheduled for publication in the fall of 2008.
A 1984 graduate of John Marshall Law School, Brigid is active in several bar associations, the National Speakers Association and the Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program. In 2001 she was appointed as a Hearing Officer at The Illinois Attorney Registration Disciplinary Commission and subsequently became a Hearing Chair for the Commission. Since 1991 she has served as an Arbitration Judge for the DuPage County Arbitration Center and was "Chair" qualified in 1992.
Session:
Ms. Duffield's expertise and broad knowledge of family law and conflict resolution technique has afforded her the opportunity to speak on a variety of legal and professionalism topics for Bar Associations, Cable Media programs, local community groups as well as companies concerned with employee assistance issues. She is the owner of a second company, Legally Speaking, Inc., which has as its primary purpose the goal to educate the legal community, mental health professionals and the public on ways to resolve conflict with a special emphasis on addiction and impairments.
She has authored articles on mediation, family law, and assistance for the impaired lawyer. She is in the process of completing her book scheduled for publication in the fall of 2008.
A 1984 graduate of John Marshall Law School, Brigid is active in several bar associations, the National Speakers Association and the Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program. In 2001 she was appointed as a Hearing Officer at The Illinois Attorney Registration Disciplinary Commission and subsequently became a Hearing Chair for the Commission. Since 1991 she has served as an Arbitration Judge for the DuPage County Arbitration Center and was "Chair" qualified in 1992.
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Substance Abuse in Cases of Disputed Custody
Linda D. Elrod is the Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the
Washburn University Law School Children and Family Law Center. She is past chair of the
American Bar Association Family Law Section (2000-2001); has been co-chair of the ABA Child
Custody Pro Bono Advisory Board since 2001; has been Editor of the Family Law Quarterly since 1992;
was the Reporter for the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act (UCAPA) which was adopted
by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 2006 and has
now been enacted in six states, and a member of the Joint Editorial Board on Family Law
for the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. She served on the
ABA Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children from 2002-2005. She is author of
Child Custody Practice and Procedure and has coauthored three editions of a law school textbook,
Family Law with Harry Krause, Tom Oldham and Marsha Garrison. In 2000 she
coordinated an international, interdisciplinary think tank on
"High Conflict Custody Cases—Reforming the System for Children."
Linda has served on the Kansas Advisory Committee on Child Support
since 1984, was founder and first chair of the Family Law Section of the
Kansas Bar Association, was the first woman president of the Topeka Bar
Association; and is author of Kansas Family Law. She has written dozens of
law review articles and is a frequent CLE speaker.
Session:
Session:
- Plenary—May 1 (8:00-10:00 a.m.)
Families, Parents, Children and Separation/Divorce in the United States Today
Donald N. Duquette, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at the
University of Michigan Law School, has developed one of the most respected and influential child
advocacy law programs in the country. The CALC is the oldest such clinic in the U.S. and
celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2007. Duquette's 1990 book, Advocating for the Child in
Protection Proceedings, formed the conceptual framework for the first national evaluation of
child representation as mandated by the U.S. Congress (National Study of Guardian ad Litem
Effectiveness, by CSR Inc). He was one of the drafters of the Michigan statute defining the
role of the child's lawyer-guardian ad litem. His writings on child representation include
Two Distinct Roles/Bright Line Test (6 NEV.L.J. 1240 (2006). Duquette's most recent book,
Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents and State Agencies in Abuse,
Neglect and Dependency Proceedings (Bradford Legal Publishers, May 2005), defines a brand new
legal specialty in child welfare law and prepares experienced lawyers for a national
certifying examination. Duquette is co-editor and an author of the book and was co-director
of the National Association of Counsel for Children's national project to certify lawyers as
specialists in child welfare law. The NACC child welfare specialty gained American Bar
Association accreditation in February 2004.
Professor Duquette was a social worker specializing in child protection and foster care prior to earning his J.D. at U-M. Before joining the clinical law faculty in 1976, he served as an assistant professor of pediatrics at Michigan State University. During a leave from the Law School, he managed an expert work group for the U.S. Children's Bureau and drafted Permanency for Children: Guidelines for Public Policy and State Legislation as part of President Clinton's Adoption 2002 Initiative on Adoption and Foster Care.
Session:
Professor Duquette was a social worker specializing in child protection and foster care prior to earning his J.D. at U-M. Before joining the clinical law faculty in 1976, he served as an assistant professor of pediatrics at Michigan State University. During a leave from the Law School, he managed an expert work group for the U.S. Children's Bureau and drafted Permanency for Children: Guidelines for Public Policy and State Legislation as part of President Clinton's Adoption 2002 Initiative on Adoption and Foster Care.
Session:
Shiel G. Edlin is a partner in the 6-person family law firm of Stern & Edlin, P.C., in
Atlanta, Georgia. He received his B.B.A. in accounting from George Washington University in
1976, and his J.D. from Mercer Law School in 1979, where he served as an associate editor
of the Mercer Law Review. In 1989 he was Chairperson of the Family Law Section of the
Atlanta Bar. For ten years he was the Legislative Liaison and a member of the Executive
Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia. For 2006-2007
he served as Chairperson of the Section. Mr. Edlin has served as the
Chancellor of the Author's Court of the State Bar of Georgia.
He has co-authored two articles in the Mercer Law Review, surveying the
Domestic Relations law in Georgia. He is a Fellow of the American
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers where he formally was on the Board of
Governors. He was a member of the Council of the Family Law Section
of the American Bar Association for seven years, and former
Chairperson of the Long Range Planning and Chairperson of the Scope and
Correlation Committees of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association.
He has lectured on family law topics for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers,
Georgia State University College of Law, the Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education,
and the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association. He has served as co-host of the Law
Show on WGST Radio in Atlanta. He has been listed as a Super Lawyer in Atlanta
Magazine for the past four years.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Crafting Visitation and Access Orders
Robert Emery, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Children,
Families, and the Law at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on
family relationships and children's mental health, including parental conflict, divorce, mediation,
child custody, family violence, and associated legal and policy issues. Dr. Emery is the
author of over 100 scientific publications, and several books including Marriage, Divorce,
and Children's Adjustment (1999, 2nd Ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications),
Renegotiating Family Relationships: Divorce, Child Custody, and Mediation
(1994, New York: Guilford Publications), and The Truth about Children and Divorce:
Dealing with the Emotions So You and Your Children Can Thrive (2004, New York: Viking
[Plume paperback, 2006]). In addition to his research, teaching, and administrative
responsibilities, Dr. Emery maintains a limited practice as a clinical psychologist
and divorce mediator.
Sessions:
Sessions:
- May 1 (8:00-10:00 a.m.)
Families, Parents, Children and Separation/Divorce in the United States Today - May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Mediation
Joy M. Feinberg is a founding partner in the Chicago family law firm of Feinberg & Barry, P.C.
She has been practicing law for 31 years, the last 29 years practicing solely in the field
of matrimonial law. She is the author of the "Child Custody" Chapter for IICLE's Illinois
Family Law 1988-2006; and the Chapter on "Expert/Opinion Witnesses and Psychological Testing"
for IICLE's book on Child Custody, from 1992-2006. In 1993, Ms. Feinberg co-authored a chapter
on Tax Aspects of Property Distributions in Dissolution Cases for the Illinois State Bar
Association Family Law Handbook and has continued to speak on tax, business valuation
and many other issues which arise in divorce cases.
Ms. Feinberg is a past President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation. She was one of 4 lawyers who finalized the AAML written national exam and served as Chair of the National Exam Committee for many years. In 2008, Ms. Feinberg was awarded the Samuel Berger Award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. This is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual in the field of Illinois Family Law. Ms. Feinberg is consistently named by her peers as an Illinois "Super Lawyer".
For this conference, Ms. Feinberg has served as one of the Co-Chairs for the Host Committee and sincerely hopes that you have enjoyed your experience at this conference and in her great home town of Chicago!
Session:
Ms. Feinberg is a past President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation. She was one of 4 lawyers who finalized the AAML written national exam and served as Chair of the National Exam Committee for many years. In 2008, Ms. Feinberg was awarded the Samuel Berger Award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. This is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual in the field of Illinois Family Law. Ms. Feinberg is consistently named by her peers as an Illinois "Super Lawyer".
For this conference, Ms. Feinberg has served as one of the Co-Chairs for the Host Committee and sincerely hopes that you have enjoyed your experience at this conference and in her great home town of Chicago!
Session:
- May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Alienation Issues: Assessment and Intervention
Scott N. Friedman exclusively practices Family Relations Law with Friedman & Mirman Co., L.P.A.
in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Friedman is also licensed to practice in the state of Florida.
Mr. Friedman is an Ohio State Bar Association Family Relations Law Specialist.
Mr. Friedman received his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School where he was honored with Order of the Curia.
Mr. Friedman is a member of the Columbus Bar Association's Family Law Committee, the Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee, and the American Bar Association Family Law Committee. Mr. Friedman is active with the Family Law Section of the ABA serving on Council, former Co-Chair of the CLE Committee, Scope Committee and a member of many other committees.
Mr. Friedman lectures frequently for the Ohio State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Law Education Institute.
Mr. Friedman is a graduate of the American Bar Association's Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute.
Session:
Mr. Friedman received his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School where he was honored with Order of the Curia.
Mr. Friedman is a member of the Columbus Bar Association's Family Law Committee, the Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee, and the American Bar Association Family Law Committee. Mr. Friedman is active with the Family Law Section of the ABA serving on Council, former Co-Chair of the CLE Committee, Scope Committee and a member of many other committees.
Mr. Friedman lectures frequently for the Ohio State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Law Education Institute.
Mr. Friedman is a graduate of the American Bar Association's Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute.
Session:
Genie Miller Gillespie is the Director of the American Bar Association's
Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project, having succeeded the founding
director in November 2006. Upon her graduation from the Columbus School of
Law at the Catholic University of America, in 1992, Genie clerked for the
Honorable Wendell P. Gardner, Jr. of the Superior Court for the District of
Columbia. In 1993, she returned to Chicago and practiced domestic relations
and mental health law for a small firm, before joining the Chicago Bar
Foundation as its Pro Bono Director in 1997. In 2001, she started her own
practice, specializing in adoption, mediation, and issues related to
children and families. In addition to her work at the ABA, and her
private practice, Genie is also co-founder of the Center for Law and
Social Work, a non-profit agency devoted to developing viable backup
plans for older and ill adoptive parents. Genie is also one of five
attorneys appointed as guardian ad litem in adoption cases in the
Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois. Genie has written numerous
articles and spoken at several seminars about adoption issues.
She has also trained hundreds of attorneys to handle pro bono
adoption and guardianship cases. She is the General Editor, and
chapter author, of the IICLE Adoption Law Manual. Genie is on the
Board of Directors of Parents Care and Share, a child abuse
prevention program. She was the chair of the Chicago Bar
Association Adoption Law Committee in 2001, and has been
selected to chair the Adoption Law Committee again in 2008.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Model Mental Health and Children's Law Projects
Dr. Gottlieb practices forensic and family psychology in Dallas, Texas. He is Board
Certified in Family Psychology [ABPP] and is a Fellow of the American Psychology/Law
Society as well as four other divisions of the American Psychological Association.
He is a Clinical Professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
where he teaches professional ethics, and an Honorary Clinical Professor at Texas Woman's University.
He is a Past-President of the Dallas and Texas Psychological Associations, The American Board of Family Psychology and The Academy of Family Psychology. Also, he completed terms on the American Psychological Association's: Ethics Committee; Committee on Professional Practice and Standards; and Council of Representatives (two terms). Presently, he is a member of the Ethics Committee of the American Board of Professional Psychology.
An active scholar, Dr. Gottlieb writes on applied ethics and the psychology/law interface. He has written or co-written forty peer reviewed articles and book chapters, presented over eighty original papers, and offered more than 100 professional workshops locally, nationally and internationally and has received over thirty awards for his professional accomplishments and service.
He was the Editor of Family Law Psychology Briefs, and serves on the Editorial Board of eight scholarly journals. He has testified or consulted in fifteen states, four federal jurisdictions, and consults regarding forensic psychology issues to a variety of individuals and institutions including the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
Recently, he has made presentations to The Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, The State Bar of California, the National Judicial Institute of Canada, and the ABA/APA National Conference on Children and the Law. He was recently appointed to the working group on ethics and standards of the joint APA/ABA Collaboration on Children, Families, Divorce, and Custody.
Session:
He is a Past-President of the Dallas and Texas Psychological Associations, The American Board of Family Psychology and The Academy of Family Psychology. Also, he completed terms on the American Psychological Association's: Ethics Committee; Committee on Professional Practice and Standards; and Council of Representatives (two terms). Presently, he is a member of the Ethics Committee of the American Board of Professional Psychology.
An active scholar, Dr. Gottlieb writes on applied ethics and the psychology/law interface. He has written or co-written forty peer reviewed articles and book chapters, presented over eighty original papers, and offered more than 100 professional workshops locally, nationally and internationally and has received over thirty awards for his professional accomplishments and service.
He was the Editor of Family Law Psychology Briefs, and serves on the Editorial Board of eight scholarly journals. He has testified or consulted in fifteen states, four federal jurisdictions, and consults regarding forensic psychology issues to a variety of individuals and institutions including the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
Recently, he has made presentations to The Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, The State Bar of California, the National Judicial Institute of Canada, and the ABA/APA National Conference on Children and the Law. He was recently appointed to the working group on ethics and standards of the joint APA/ABA Collaboration on Children, Families, Divorce, and Custody.
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Legal Ethics in Child Custody Proceedings
Dianna J. Gould-Saltman, Attorney at Law, is a principal in the Los Angeles firm of
Gould-Saltman Law Offices, LLP, specializing in mediation and litigation of family law issues.
A certified family law specialist (The State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization)
and a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Ms. Gould-Saltman
received her B.A. in psychology from the University of California,
Irvine and her Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law.
She is currently the chair of the ABA Family Law Section Ethics Committee.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Legal Ethics in Child Custody Proceedings
Lyn R. Greenberg, Ph.D., specializes in work with children
and families involved with the courts. She performs child
custody evaluations, evaluations of alleged abuse, forensic and parent
consultation, expert witness services, parent coordination, and specialized
treatment for court-involved children and families. She has written and
presented both locally and nationally on forensic psychology, professional
ethics, child custody evaluation, valid interviews of children, and court-related treatment.
She also serves as the Psychology chairperson of the APA-ABA Working Group on
Representation and Advocacy for Children. She is Co-Chair of the Family
Forensic Special Interest Group, for the Division of Family Psychology
of the American Psychological Association. She is a Member of the
(Southern) Children's Issues Committee of the CA State Bar Association.
Session:
Session:
Dr. Grossman is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in Chicago,
Illinois. She also holds a law degree and combines her degrees by consulting in the psycho-legal
aspects of psychology to both psychologists as well as attorneys.
Dr. Grossman is a current member of the APA Board of Directors. Among the various positions she has held in APA, Dr. Grossman is past president of the Division of State, Provincial and Territorial Association Affairs, past chair of the Board of Professional Affairs, past chair of the Committee of Professional Practice and Standards, past member of the Committee on Legal Issues and past member of the Policy and Planning Board. Active in state psychological issues, Dr. Grossman is past president of the Illinois Psychological Association and has represented the state of Illinois on APA's Council of Representatives for six years. She is also past president of Forensic Forum, a multidisciplinary group centered in Chicago that focuses on psycho-legal issues.
Dr. Grossman has received the Distinguished Psychological Award from the Illinois Psychological Association and the Outstanding Psychologist Award from APA's Division of State, Provincial and Territorial Association Affairs.
Session:
Dr. Grossman is a current member of the APA Board of Directors. Among the various positions she has held in APA, Dr. Grossman is past president of the Division of State, Provincial and Territorial Association Affairs, past chair of the Board of Professional Affairs, past chair of the Committee of Professional Practice and Standards, past member of the Committee on Legal Issues and past member of the Policy and Planning Board. Active in state psychological issues, Dr. Grossman is past president of the Illinois Psychological Association and has represented the state of Illinois on APA's Council of Representatives for six years. She is also past president of Forensic Forum, a multidisciplinary group centered in Chicago that focuses on psycho-legal issues.
Dr. Grossman has received the Distinguished Psychological Award from the Illinois Psychological Association and the Outstanding Psychologist Award from APA's Division of State, Provincial and Territorial Association Affairs.
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege of Health Care Records and Psychotherapy Notes
Martin Guggenheim is the Fiorello LaGuardia Professor of Clinical Law at New York University School of Law.
He has written widely on the legal representation of children and has twice served as the
Reporter for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers' Standards for the
Representation of Children in Custody and Visitation Proceedings.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Appropriate Identification and Consideration of Children's Interests
Ann Haralambie is a Certified Family Law specialist in private practice in
Tucson, Arizona. Her practice is restricted to family and juvenile cases,
with an emphasis on custody and child abuse. She is a former president of
the National Association of Counsel for Children, and charter life member of
the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. She founded and
serves as president of the Arizona Association of Counsel for Children.
She is also a volunteer Judge Pro Tempore in the Pima County Superior Court.
In addition to her trial and appellate practice, Ms. Haralambie speaks nationally and internationally to attorneys, judges, and multidisciplinary audiences and has authored many articles and book chapters in the areas of custody and child abuse. She has written Child Sexual Abuse in Civil Cases and The Child's Attorney, both published by the American Bar Association's Family Law Section, and a two-volume, annually supplemented treatise, Handling Child Custody, Abuse, and Adoption Cases 2E, published by the West Group. Ms. Haralambie is passionate about protecting children through the legal process and fostering multidisciplinary cooperation to serve the needs of children.
Session:
In addition to her trial and appellate practice, Ms. Haralambie speaks nationally and internationally to attorneys, judges, and multidisciplinary audiences and has authored many articles and book chapters in the areas of custody and child abuse. She has written Child Sexual Abuse in Civil Cases and The Child's Attorney, both published by the American Bar Association's Family Law Section, and a two-volume, annually supplemented treatise, Handling Child Custody, Abuse, and Adoption Cases 2E, published by the West Group. Ms. Haralambie is passionate about protecting children through the legal process and fostering multidisciplinary cooperation to serve the needs of children.
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Third Parties' Custodial Interests
Sondra I. Harris is the president and senior member of the Harris Law Firm,
which practices family law in Rockville Centre NY. Her firm has appeared in
all the Courts of New York State doing both litigation and appeal work. Sondra
has lectured and written extensively on family law topics ranging from
assisted reproductive technology to parenting coordinators.
She has been active in the Family Law Section of the ABA and has been committee
chair, parliamentarian and a member of the governing council of the section.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Parent Coordinators: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Gregg Herman is a shareholder with the law firm of Loeb & Herman, S.C, which
practices exclusively Family Law, concentrating in cases with significant assets or income.
He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Wisconsin and 1977 graduate of the University of
Wisconsin law school.
From 1977-1984, Mr. Herman was an Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County, prosecuting nearly 100 jury trials ranging from white-collar crime to First Degree Murder. He joined Leonard Loeb in the practice of family law in October 1984. He is Board Certified in Family Law Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Gregg Herman is the current chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section. He will serve in that capacity until August 2008.
Gregg Herman was the founder of the Cooperative Divorce Institute, Inc., and served as its first chair from 2003-05. He was also the founder of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin, Inc. and was its first State-wide Chair from 2000-01.
Gregg Herman is co-author of The System Book for Family Law published by the State Bar of Wisconsin and is a Contributing Editor to the American Journal of Family Law. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Journal of Family Law from 2002 to 2004 and also was the editor of 101+ Practical Solutions for the Family Lawyer and The Joy of Settlement, both published by the ABA Family Law Section.
Mr. Herman is a former president of the Milwaukee Bar Association (1998-99), the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (1999) and is a past chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin Family Law Section (1996-97). He is formerly a member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin (1999-2003, 2004-06) and a member of Council of the ABA Family Law Section (1996-2003).
Session:
From 1977-1984, Mr. Herman was an Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County, prosecuting nearly 100 jury trials ranging from white-collar crime to First Degree Murder. He joined Leonard Loeb in the practice of family law in October 1984. He is Board Certified in Family Law Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Gregg Herman is the current chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section. He will serve in that capacity until August 2008.
Gregg Herman was the founder of the Cooperative Divorce Institute, Inc., and served as its first chair from 2003-05. He was also the founder of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin, Inc. and was its first State-wide Chair from 2000-01.
Gregg Herman is co-author of The System Book for Family Law published by the State Bar of Wisconsin and is a Contributing Editor to the American Journal of Family Law. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Journal of Family Law from 2002 to 2004 and also was the editor of 101+ Practical Solutions for the Family Lawyer and The Joy of Settlement, both published by the ABA Family Law Section.
Mr. Herman is a former president of the Milwaukee Bar Association (1998-99), the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (1999) and is a past chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin Family Law Section (1996-97). He is formerly a member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin (1999-2003, 2004-06) and a member of Council of the ABA Family Law Section (1996-2003).
Session:
- May 3 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Working Groups' Reports
William J. Howe, III, is a lawyer practicing family law and is a shareholder in the firm
of Gevurtz, Menashe, Larson & Howe, P.C., of Portland, Oregon. He is one of ten
family law lawyers from Oregon included in the 2005-06 Best Lawyers in America.
He was appointed by Chief Justice Carson as the Vice-Chair of the Statewide
Family Law Advisory Committee; currently serves as President of Oregon Family
Institute, serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Family and
Conciliation Courts, was Chair of the Oregon Task Force on Family Law from 1993
to 1997, having been appointed by Governor Barbara Roberts in 1993; he serves as
an Oregon Court of Appeals Mediator; he served on the Juvenile Court
Improvement Advisory Committee and Citizen Review Board, having been
appointed by Chief Justice Carson; and served on the Oregon Dispute Resolution
Advisory Committee. He has also served as Pro Tem Judge and mediator, and was
awarded the 2003 Pro Bono Challenge Award for the Highest Level of Pro Bono
Public Service by the Oregon State Bar. In addition, Mr. Howe is a frequent author
and speaker at Family Law Conferences in the United States, Canada, Australia and
Europe, and has authored several articles on Family Law.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Attorneys Working with High Conflict Families
Hon. Edward R. Jordan is a Circuit Judge assigned to the Domestic Relations Division of the
Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. He sat in that division as a trial judge from the day
he came onto the bench on August 1, 1994, until December 2004. He now sits as a Preliminary
Judge in the same division. Before coming to the bench, Judge Jordan was in private practice
for 22 years, most of which were spent as a trial lawyer in the area of family law. He is a
1972 graduate of the John Marshall Law School, and a 1975 Diplomate of the Trial Technique
Clinic of the Lawyers Post Graduate Clinics in Chicago. He is also an active member of
several professional associations. Judge Jordan is a frequent lecturer and panel
participant in programs of continuing education for lawyers and judges, he regularly
judges mock trial and moot court competitions, and he often speaks to civic and other
groups on the law. Judge Jordan has been an Adjunct Professor at IIT-Chicago Kent College
of Law where he taught advanced trial techniques in the LLM program; and he has received many
certificates and awards for his educational accomplishments.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
Judge Nancy J. Katz is an Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Judge Katz was appointed to the bench in November, 1999. Since April, 2000,
Judge Katz has been assigned to the Domestic Relations Division, where she
presides over an individual calendar.
Judge Katz is a 1983 graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. From 1995-1999, Judge Katz served as Assistant General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, where she supervised the legal work of the Department in the Cook County Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Divisions of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Prior to that, Judge Katz worked for over 10 years as a staff attorney, supervising attorney and project director for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. She also served for one-and-a-half years as the Assistant Ethics Counsel for the ABA's Center for Professional Responsibility.
Judge Katz is a member of the Committee on Education of the Illinois Judicial Conference and she frequently speaks on family law issues to legal, professional, and lay audiences. In 2006 and 2007 she served as an adjunct professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she taught a family law trial advocacy course.
Session:
Judge Katz is a 1983 graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. From 1995-1999, Judge Katz served as Assistant General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, where she supervised the legal work of the Department in the Cook County Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Divisions of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Prior to that, Judge Katz worked for over 10 years as a staff attorney, supervising attorney and project director for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. She also served for one-and-a-half years as the Assistant Ethics Counsel for the ABA's Center for Professional Responsibility.
Judge Katz is a member of the Committee on Education of the Illinois Judicial Conference and she frequently speaks on family law issues to legal, professional, and lay audiences. In 2006 and 2007 she served as an adjunct professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she taught a family law trial advocacy course.
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Crafting Visitation and Access Orders
Dr. Kelly is a clinical psychologist, researcher, teacher, and consultant. She received her Ph.D. from
Yale University. For 37 years, her research, practice, and teaching has focused on research in
children's adjustment to divorce, custody and access issues, divorce mediation, and applications
of child development research to custody and access decision-making. She has more than 85
publications, including the book Surviving the Breakup: How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce
(Basic Books, 1980).
Dr. Kelly was a Founder and Executive Director of the Northern California Mediation Center for 19 years, and mediated divorce and family disputes. She developed and provided training programs in mediation and in Parenting Coordination. She was a forensic expert, custody evaluator, therapist, consultant, and Parenting Coordinator in high conflict custody cases. Now retired from forensic and mediation work, Joan continues to speak and teach seminars here and abroad and write articles. She was a member of the recent AFCC Task Force on Parenting Coordination to develop standards of practice.
Dr. Kelly has been honored with many awards, including Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Distinguished Mediator Award from the Academy of Family Mediators, the Distinguished Research Award, and the Meyer Elkin Award, from the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Joan is Past-President of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Family Mediators, and the California Dispute Resolution Institute.
Sessions:
Dr. Kelly was a Founder and Executive Director of the Northern California Mediation Center for 19 years, and mediated divorce and family disputes. She developed and provided training programs in mediation and in Parenting Coordination. She was a forensic expert, custody evaluator, therapist, consultant, and Parenting Coordinator in high conflict custody cases. Now retired from forensic and mediation work, Joan continues to speak and teach seminars here and abroad and write articles. She was a member of the recent AFCC Task Force on Parenting Coordination to develop standards of practice.
Dr. Kelly has been honored with many awards, including Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Distinguished Mediator Award from the Academy of Family Mediators, the Distinguished Research Award, and the Meyer Elkin Award, from the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Joan is Past-President of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Family Mediators, and the California Dispute Resolution Institute.
Sessions:
- May 1 (8:00-10:00 a.m.)
Families, Parents, Children and Separation/Divorce in the United States Today - May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Effective Parenting Plans for Children: Insights from Empirical Research
Ralla Klepak is Adjunct Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
She is the principal of Ralla Klepak & Associates in Chicago, Illinois,
specializing in complex child custody advocacy. Recipient of numerous awards
and author of numerous articles in the area child advocacy, she has 43 years of experience as a trial lawyer.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Mental Disability in Cases of Disputed Custody
A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gerald P. Koocher completed his B.A. degree in
Psychology at Boston University (1968), and his MA (1970) and PhD (1972) in
clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. From 1971 through 2001 he
served successively as an intern, post-doctoral fellow, and ultimately as Chief of
Psychology at Boston's Children's Hospital and Judge Baker Children's Center.
During this period he also served as a full time faculty member (Associate Professor) at
Harvard Medical School. In June, 2001 Dr. Koocher became Professor and Dean of the School for
Health Studies at Simmons College (Boston). He also holds appointment as Lecturer in
Psychology at Harvard Medical School.
Accorded Fellow status by twelve divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr Koocher has earned five specialty diplomas from the American Boards of Professional Psychology (Clinical, Clinical Child /Adolescent, Family, Forensic, and Health Psychology). He has been licensed as a psychologist in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia.
Currently Editor of the journal Ethics & Behavior, Dr. Koocher previously served as Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and The Clinical Psychologist. He has published more than 170 articles and book chapters and authored or edited eleven books.
Very active in professional affairs, Dr. Koocher served as President of the Massachusetts and New England Psychological Associations and of three APA divisions (Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Children, Youth, and Family Services). He served as President of the APA (2006).
Sessions:
Accorded Fellow status by twelve divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr Koocher has earned five specialty diplomas from the American Boards of Professional Psychology (Clinical, Clinical Child /Adolescent, Family, Forensic, and Health Psychology). He has been licensed as a psychologist in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia.
Currently Editor of the journal Ethics & Behavior, Dr. Koocher previously served as Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and The Clinical Psychologist. He has published more than 170 articles and book chapters and authored or edited eleven books.
Very active in professional affairs, Dr. Koocher served as President of the Massachusetts and New England Psychological Associations and of three APA divisions (Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Children, Youth, and Family Services). He served as President of the APA (2006).
Sessions:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege of Health Care Records and Psychotherapy Notes - May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
Kathryn Kuehnle, Ph.D. is a Florida licensed psychologist, and currently holds a faculty position
as Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida, Louis de Parte Florida Mental Health Institute,
Department of Mental Health Law and Policy. In addition to her faculty position, she maintains
a private forensic and clinical practice in Tampa, Florida, and specializes in the evaluation
of children alleged to have been sexually abused and in the treatment of maltreated children and
victims of other family violence. She further serves as a consultant to the legal and mental
health professions and other community agencies.
Dr. Kuehnle has written and presented widely on topics related to child custody, child sexual abuse, and family violence. She is the author of the book Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse, which is in its second revision. She also is the editor of the book Child Custody Litigation: Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse and is currently the lead editor on the soon-to-be-published, The Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Comprehensive Guide to Assessment and Testimony. She served on the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) Child Custody Standards Task Force and assisted in the development of the new AFCC Child Custody Standards.
Session:
Dr. Kuehnle has written and presented widely on topics related to child custody, child sexual abuse, and family violence. She is the author of the book Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse, which is in its second revision. She also is the editor of the book Child Custody Litigation: Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse and is currently the lead editor on the soon-to-be-published, The Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Comprehensive Guide to Assessment and Testimony. She served on the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) Child Custody Standards Task Force and assisted in the development of the new AFCC Child Custody Standards.
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Cases of Disputed Custody
Jay Lebow is the author of 100 book chapters and articles, most of which focus on the
interface of research and practice. His published volumes include Research for the
Psychotherapist and three edited volumes: Family Psychology: The Art of
the Science (with William Pinsof), The Clinical Handbook of Family Therapy,
and the Integrative/Eclectic volume of the Comprehensive Handbook of Psychotherapy.
He is a past president of the Division of Family Psychology of the American
Psychological Association and is involved in the Family Institute's Psychotherapy Change project.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Therapeutic Interventions for High Conflict Families
The Hon. Debra H. Lehrmann, the District Judge of the 360th District Court in Fort Worth, Texas,
has served as a family law judge in Tarrant County for over 20 years. A member of Phi Beta Kappa,
Judge Lehrmann graduated with high honors from the University of Texas in 1979 and the University of
Texas School of Law in 1982.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, she practiced family law with the Fort Worth law firm of Law, Snakard & Gambill. She also worked as the lead attorney and director of the Enforcement Division of the Tarrant County Domestic Relations Office. In 1990, she was recognized as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Tarrant County.
Judge Lehrmann currently serves as a commissioner on the National Commission on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), where she serves as the Chair of the drafting committee on the Uniform Relocation Act. Since 2003, she has served on the NCCUSL committee which is creating a uniform law on the court-appointed representation of children. She is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), is a past president of the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, is a master member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, serves on the Advisory Board of Tarrant County Dispute Resolution Services, is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation, and is a charter member of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation.
An active member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA/FLS), she serves as Secretary of the section and as the Judicial Liaison to the Judicial Section of the ABA. She is a past member of the Family Law Council, of the Continuing Legal Education Committee, of the Publications Board, and has served as chair of the child support committee. From 2000-2003, she was a member of the ABA/FLS Committee to Develop Standards for Representation of Children in Custody Litigation.
In 2005, Judge Lehrmann received the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Scott Moore Award. She speaks frequently at continuing legal education events throughout the state and country, and lectures on family law at Texas Wesleyan School of Law. The author of numerous published articles, in 2003 she received the Texas Bar Foundation's award for the best bar journal article of the year, for "The Child's Voice—An Analysis of the Methodology Used To Involve Children in Custody Litigation" (Texas Bar Journal, November 2002). She is the author of two legal treatises which are updated yearly, Texas Annotated Family Code (Lexis Nexis-Matthew Bender) and Court-Appointed Representation of Children in Texas Family Law Cases—A Practical Guide (Lexis Nexis-Matthew Bender).
Session:
Prior to her appointment to the bench, she practiced family law with the Fort Worth law firm of Law, Snakard & Gambill. She also worked as the lead attorney and director of the Enforcement Division of the Tarrant County Domestic Relations Office. In 1990, she was recognized as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Tarrant County.
Judge Lehrmann currently serves as a commissioner on the National Commission on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), where she serves as the Chair of the drafting committee on the Uniform Relocation Act. Since 2003, she has served on the NCCUSL committee which is creating a uniform law on the court-appointed representation of children. She is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), is a past president of the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, is a master member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, serves on the Advisory Board of Tarrant County Dispute Resolution Services, is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation, and is a charter member of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation.
An active member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA/FLS), she serves as Secretary of the section and as the Judicial Liaison to the Judicial Section of the ABA. She is a past member of the Family Law Council, of the Continuing Legal Education Committee, of the Publications Board, and has served as chair of the child support committee. From 2000-2003, she was a member of the ABA/FLS Committee to Develop Standards for Representation of Children in Custody Litigation.
In 2005, Judge Lehrmann received the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Scott Moore Award. She speaks frequently at continuing legal education events throughout the state and country, and lectures on family law at Texas Wesleyan School of Law. The author of numerous published articles, in 2003 she received the Texas Bar Foundation's award for the best bar journal article of the year, for "The Child's Voice—An Analysis of the Methodology Used To Involve Children in Custody Litigation" (Texas Bar Journal, November 2002). She is the author of two legal treatises which are updated yearly, Texas Annotated Family Code (Lexis Nexis-Matthew Bender) and Court-Appointed Representation of Children in Texas Family Law Cases—A Practical Guide (Lexis Nexis-Matthew Bender).
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Appropriate Identification and Consideration of Children's Interests
Ken H. Lester has offices in Columbia, Myrtle Beach/Conway area, and
Beaufort/Hilton Head Island area, South Carolina. He received his B.S. and J.D.
degree from the University of South Carolina. He is a Diplomat
in the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, an organization limited to
the top 100 family court trial lawyers in the United States. He is a fellow
in the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers which is made up of
approximately 960 lawyers worldwide. He is a Fellow of the American Academy
of Matrimonial Lawyers and served as President of the South Carolina chapter.
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers consists of 1,700 of the top
matrimonial attorneys in the United States and Canada. Mr. Lester is a member
of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association and was on the faculty
of the American Bar Association Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute which was held
for eight (8) days each year in Houston, Texas, where 48 lawyers from across the United
States are taught to try family law cases. Mr. Lester served as the Chairman of the
Family Law Section of the South Carolina Bar and served as the Section Delegate to the
South Carolina Bar House of Delegates. He served as Chairman of the Family Law Committee
of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association and is currently a member of the South
Carolina Trial Lawyers Association where he has served on the Board. He is also former
Chairman of the Richland and Lexington County Bar Family Law Committees. He also taught the
Family Law portion of the South Carolina Bar Review course which is taught twice each year to
lawyers preparing for the South Carolina Bar exam. Mr. Lester is the former Chairman of the South
Carolina Child Support Guidelines Sub-committee and has served on all of the update committees. Mr.
Lester has written and continues to write on various issues dealing with South Carolina Family
Law in addition to speaking, and coordinating numerous Continuing Legal Education and Judicial
Continuing Legal Education Seminars locally and nationally. Mr. Lester served as the chairman of
the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Children Committee and served as a member on the
five-member Same-Sex Marriage Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
He was a member of the American Bar Association Same-Sex Marriage Committee and Products
Development Committee. He is the author of the Chapter on Protection of Marriage by
Statute and Constitutions on the American Bar Association's White Paper on Same-Sex issues.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
David H. Levy is a trial lawyer with thirty-one years of experience
handling complex financial and custody cases. He is the managing partner of the
law firm Berger Schatz, one of the country's largest firms specializing in
matrimonial and family law with offices in both Cook and Lake County,
Illinois. Mr. Levy is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial
Lawyers, having served as a member of the Executive Committee of the
national organization in 2004 and on its National Board of Governors
from 1995 to 1998 and 2006 to present as well as being President of
the Illinois Chapter in 1993-94. He was Chairman of the Illinois State Bar
Association Family Law Section Council in 1995-96. He has lectured
extensively throughout the United States, including presentations to the
American Bar Association and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has
extensive experience in complex financial matrimonial matters as well
as custody and representation of children.
Session:
Session:
Sandra Morgan Little is a New Mexico Board Recognized Specialist in Divorce and
Family Law, and practices in the Albuquerque Firm of Little, Gilman-Tepper & Batley, P.A., a
firm devoted to complex divorce and family law. She is completing her 29th year of practice.
Ms. Little is Past Chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers and is listed in Best Lawyers of America. She has written numerous books including Divorce and Domestic Relations Litigation - Financial Advisors Guide, and articles in the area of Family Law. Ms. Little lectures frequently, both nationally and locally.
Session:
Ms. Little is Past Chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers and is listed in Best Lawyers of America. She has written numerous books including Divorce and Domestic Relations Litigation - Financial Advisors Guide, and articles in the area of Family Law. Ms. Little lectures frequently, both nationally and locally.
Session:
- May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Negotiation and Settlement Techniques
Professor Mabry (JD., 1983, Howard University School of Law; LLM., 1996, New York University School of Law)
has been a law teacher since 1993. Presently, she teaches Adoption Law, Family Law, Civil
Procedure and Pretrial Litigation at Howard University School of Law. Professor Mabry has
taught full-time at New York University School of Law, Washington and Lee University
School of Law, and West Virginia University College of Law and as a Visiting Professor
at the University Of Florida College Of Law, Syracuse University College of Law and the
University of the Western Cape in Capetown, South Africa. She is on the Executive
Committee of the Family Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools,
an Editor for the Family Court Review, a volunteer mediator for the Superior Court of the
District of Columbia's Family Division and a member of the Citizens Review Board for Children
(a governmental appointment). Professor Mabry has made presentations on domestic and
international family law issues in several states in the United States; and, as a
member of the International Family Law Society, she has spoken to international
audiences in Amsterdam, China and Italy. Professor Mabry co-authored Adoption Law:
Theory, Policy and Practice, a legal textbook that was published in December 2006.
She is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.
She has written several law review articles focusing on a variety of issues with
emphasis on children's rights. Professor Mabry was Student Articles Editor of the
Howard Law Journal. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. After she was graduated from Howard, she was a judicial law clerk at state and federal courts in the District of Columbia and Detroit, Michigan. She practiced law in the District of Columbia at Crowell & Moring, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and the Federal Railroad Administration.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (8:00-10:00 a.m.)
Families, Parents, Children and Separation/Divorce in the United States Today
Solangel Maldonado is a Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School. She teaches Torts; Feminist Theory;
Latino Critical Race Theory; Estates and Trusts, as well as a number of courses in the family law area.
She received her B.A. from Columbia College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and the recipient of a Human Rights Fellowship.
She also served as the managing editor of the Columbia Journal of Gender and the Law.
Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr.,
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Prior to joining the
Seton Hall faculty in 2001, she practiced commercial litigation with Kaye, Scholer,
Fierman, Hays & Handler, LLP and with Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood in New York City.
She has served on the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, the Board of Directors of
the Dominican Bar Association, and the New York Supreme Court Judicial Screening Panel.
Professor Maldonado's scholarship focuses on the law’s regulation of children's relationships with adults who play a parental role. To that end, her work explores how the law can encourage nonresident fathers to maintain and nurture relationships with their children. Her work also examines the role of race in family law. She recently published an article exploring the reasons some Americans prefer to adopt children of color from other countries over African-American children. Her most recent project compares transracial adoptions of African-American children with those of Native-American children.
Session:
Professor Maldonado's scholarship focuses on the law’s regulation of children's relationships with adults who play a parental role. To that end, her work explores how the law can encourage nonresident fathers to maintain and nurture relationships with their children. Her work also examines the role of race in family law. She recently published an article exploring the reasons some Americans prefer to adopt children of color from other countries over African-American children. Her most recent project compares transracial adoptions of African-American children with those of Native-American children.
Session:
Dr. Diane Marsh is Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
The author or editor of 12 books, she has many years of experience as a therapist,
consultant, and trainer. Dr. Marsh served as chair of the APA Task Force on Serious
Mental Illness and Serious Emotional Disturbance and currently serves as APA
representative on the American Bar Association Task Force on Mental Disability
and the Death Penalty. She received the Catherine Acuff Congressional Fellowship for
2003-2004 and worked in the office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Mental Disability in Cases of Disputed Custody
Thomas McMahon, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Child Study
Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, and he is currently the Director of Young Adult
Services at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. McMahon
received his doctoral degree in Child and School Psychology from New York University in
January of 1994. As a researcher, he is interested in ways the principles of developmental
psychopathology can be used to expand understanding of the impact parental substance abuse
has on family process and child development. As a clinician, he is interested in the
psychological assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with a
history of child abuse or neglect, particularly in the context of parental substance abuse.
He is also interested in consultation within the child welfare system, and he is interested
in professional training involving issues of substance abuse, family process,
and child development across systems of care.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Substance Abuse in Cases of Disputed Custody
Bio coming soon
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Cases of Disputed Custody
Ms. Oldham has more than thirty years experience working with families in Connecticut.
Before attending law school, Ms. Oldham was a school psychologist in the Fairfield public
schools and in private practice. Since 1988 she has specialized in matrimonial law, helping
clients address the financial and tax consequences of divorce while recognizing the psychological
impact of the process on those involved. At Rutkin & Oldham, LLC she handles all types of domestic
relations matters including dissolutions of marriage, custody and visitation proceedings,
and relocation issues in post-judgment matters.
Ms. Oldham holds a J.D. with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law where she was a member of the Law Review, an M.S. magna cum laude in School Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, and a B.S. cum laude in Psychology from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
She has been recognized for her expertise in matrimonial law, having been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is also a member of the Connecticut and American bar associations. She is co-author of Connecticut Family Law & Practice, a three-volume work which has become the basic handbook for judges and attorneys dealing with domestic relations matters in Connecticut.
She has been recognized by her peers to be included among The Best Lawyers in America and has recently been named in the Super Lawyers list as published by Law & Politics and Connecticut Magazine.
Session:
Ms. Oldham holds a J.D. with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law where she was a member of the Law Review, an M.S. magna cum laude in School Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, and a B.S. cum laude in Psychology from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
She has been recognized for her expertise in matrimonial law, having been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is also a member of the Connecticut and American bar associations. She is co-author of Connecticut Family Law & Practice, a three-volume work which has become the basic handbook for judges and attorneys dealing with domestic relations matters in Connecticut.
She has been recognized by her peers to be included among The Best Lawyers in America and has recently been named in the Super Lawyers list as published by Law & Politics and Connecticut Magazine.
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
The Utility of Psychological Testing in Custody Evaluation Contexts
Dr. Olesen graduated in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and earned her
Ph.D. degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She has worked in private practice
for more than 20 years, with a particular emphasis on child abuse and neglect, custody and access
disputes and the interface between clinical and forensic psychology. She has taught undergraduate
and graduate level courses in clinical psychology and numerous professional workshops for
professionals, both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Olesen has been involved in research regarding psychological testing in custody evaluations and various aspects of parenting behavior. This research has been presented at national professional meetings and as research articles.
Session:
Dr. Olesen has been involved in research regarding psychological testing in custody evaluations and various aspects of parenting behavior. This research has been presented at national professional meetings and as research articles.
Session:
- May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Alienation Issues: Assessment and Intervention
Greg Ortiz practices family law exclusively and is a partner in the law firm Ham and Ortiz, LLC.
Mr. Ortiz obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of Colorado and his Juris
Doctorate degree from University of Denver. Over the last seven years he has worked in various
capacities in the areas of juvenile and family law. He has published and spoken on many topics
in the area of family law. Mr. Ortiz has been a member and leader on numerous committees with the
American Bar Association Family Law Section including the CLE Planning Committee, Long Range
Planning, Diversity Committee, Marital Property Committee, Nomination Committee, and has been
a producer of numerous programs during the American Bar Associations Family Law Section's
Spring and Fall CLE Conferences. Mr. Ortiz is a member of the Family Law Section of the
Colorado Bar Association; Colorado Indian Bar Association; Colorado Hispanic Bar Association;
and Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee. In addition, Mr. Ortiz has
volunteered his services to numerous legal aid and pro bono legal services in the
Denver, Colorado metropolitan area.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
Prior to starting a private practice in clinical and family psychology in 1985, Mark
R. Otis, Ph.D. worked for the Dallas Child Guidance Clinic for five years as the
director of child abuse services. Since the 1970s, he has worked as a program
director, evaluator, therapist, facilitator, trainer, and consultant to business
and organizations. In addition to extensive experience evaluating and treating
individuals and families, Dr. Otis has worked on forensic issues involving custody,
high conflict families, adoptions, terminations, relocation, alienation/estrangement,
grandparents' rights, parenting-plan modifications, and personal injury. He has developed
innovative family workshops using written, videotape, and published educational material
to teach high conflict families and divorcing parents skills of negotiation,
conflict de-escalation, and communication. Dr. Otis chaired the Mental Health
Protocols Committee of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas that drafted
the mental health protocols now used throughout Texas and adopted by other
states and practice groups. Dr. Otis graduated from Union College (B.S.) and the
University of Florida (M.S., Ph.D.) and completed his internship and residency at
the University of Texas Health Science Center—San Antonio.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Collaborative Practice/Collaborative Law: It's a Process, Not an Oxymoron
Dr. Otto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy at
the University of South Florida, and he holds an adjunct faculty appointment at Stetson
University College of Law. His research and writing focuses on forensic psychological assessment.
Dr. Otto has written a number of chapters and articles on child custody evaluation. In 2005—with Robert Emery and William O'Donahue—he authored a monograph on contemporary issues in child custody entitled, A Critical Assessment of Child Custody Evaluations: Limited Science and a Flawed System, which was published by the American Psychological Society. Most recently, he joined Gary Melton, John Petrila, Norman Poythress, Christopher Slobogin, and Phillip Lyons as a contributor to the third edition of Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers (Guilford Press, 2007).
Dr. Otto is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 41) and has served as President of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the American Board of Forensic Psychology. He currently chairs the committee revising the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists, and is Co-Chair of the Continuing Education Program of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Otto has delivered continuing legal education lectures in Illinois, Tennessee, Washington, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, California, West Virginia, Delaware, Alaska, Virginia, Utah, and Ohio. When not working or spending time with his family, he is most likely to be found in a boat, on a motorcycle, or at a casino.
Session:
Dr. Otto has written a number of chapters and articles on child custody evaluation. In 2005—with Robert Emery and William O'Donahue—he authored a monograph on contemporary issues in child custody entitled, A Critical Assessment of Child Custody Evaluations: Limited Science and a Flawed System, which was published by the American Psychological Society. Most recently, he joined Gary Melton, John Petrila, Norman Poythress, Christopher Slobogin, and Phillip Lyons as a contributor to the third edition of Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers (Guilford Press, 2007).
Dr. Otto is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 41) and has served as President of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the American Board of Forensic Psychology. He currently chairs the committee revising the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists, and is Co-Chair of the Continuing Education Program of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Otto has delivered continuing legal education lectures in Illinois, Tennessee, Washington, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, California, West Virginia, Delaware, Alaska, Virginia, Utah, and Ohio. When not working or spending time with his family, he is most likely to be found in a boat, on a motorcycle, or at a casino.
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
The Utility of Psychological Testing in Custody Evaluation Contexts
Charlotte J. Patterson, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia,
where much of her work has focused on child development in lesbian- and gay-parented families.
In addition to her research with children and families, Patterson has co-edited three
books on the psychology of sexual orientation, has served as guest editor of a special
section of Developmental Psychology focused on 'Sexual Orientation Over the Lifespan',
and has been a member of many editorial boards. Patterson is a Fellow of the Association
for Psychological Science (APS) as well as of the American Psychological Association (APA),
and she is a past-President of the Society for Psychological Research on Lesbian,
Gay and Bisexual Issues (APA, Division 44). Patterson has won a number of awards,
including APA Division 44's award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions,
and APA Division 43's Carolyn Attneave Diversity Award, for contributions that advance
understanding and integration of diversity into Family Psychology.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Sexual Orientation and Custody
JoAnne L. Pedro-Carroll, Ph.D.
Dr. JoAnne Pedro-Carroll is a clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience as a therapist,
researcher and award winning author of programs to reduce the stress of a breakup on children and
families. She is Director of Programs for Families in Transition at Children's Institute and a
professor of Psychology at the University of Rochester in New York. Dr. Carroll is the
founder and director of the Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP), an award-winning
prevention program that has served thousands of children nationally and internationally.
The Children of Divorce Intervention Program has received extensive recognition for its effectiveness, including awards from the National Mental Health Association and the US Dept. of Health & Human Services for Program Excellence. Dr. Pedro-Carroll's areas of research include the effects of marital disruption on children; factors that moderate post-divorce child adjustment; and the development, implementation and evaluation of preventive interventions for children experiencing stressful life circumstances.
Dr. Carroll is a developer and co-founder of a parent education program for separating parents called A.C.T*. - For the Children (*Assisting Children through Transition), a program designed to teach parents effective strategies for reducing the stress of a break-up on children and nurturing their resilience and healthy adjustment.
Dr. Pedro-Carroll received her Ph.D. and Master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester and graduated summa cum laude with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from the University of Cincinnati. She provides consultation and training on family issues and lectures locally and nationally, including Congressional Updates on Capitol Hill to members of Congress and the Administration. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Pedro-Carroll is the 2001 recipient of APA's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Service, and the Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award from the AFCC, an international group of legal, judicial and mental health professionals.
She is a member of the Collaborative Working Group of the American Psychological Association and the American Bar Association on Psychological and Legal Interventions with Parents, Children & Families. She writes extensively on issues relating to children, families and prevention and has a private practice devoted to promoting healthy relationships. She is the author of a forthcoming book, Divorce from the Eyes of a Child: A Complete Guide to Fostering Children's Resilience. Together, she and her husband have 7 children.
Session:
The Children of Divorce Intervention Program has received extensive recognition for its effectiveness, including awards from the National Mental Health Association and the US Dept. of Health & Human Services for Program Excellence. Dr. Pedro-Carroll's areas of research include the effects of marital disruption on children; factors that moderate post-divorce child adjustment; and the development, implementation and evaluation of preventive interventions for children experiencing stressful life circumstances.
Dr. Carroll is a developer and co-founder of a parent education program for separating parents called A.C.T*. - For the Children (*Assisting Children through Transition), a program designed to teach parents effective strategies for reducing the stress of a break-up on children and nurturing their resilience and healthy adjustment.
Dr. Pedro-Carroll received her Ph.D. and Master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester and graduated summa cum laude with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from the University of Cincinnati. She provides consultation and training on family issues and lectures locally and nationally, including Congressional Updates on Capitol Hill to members of Congress and the Administration. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Pedro-Carroll is the 2001 recipient of APA's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Service, and the Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award from the AFCC, an international group of legal, judicial and mental health professionals.
She is a member of the Collaborative Working Group of the American Psychological Association and the American Bar Association on Psychological and Legal Interventions with Parents, Children & Families. She writes extensively on issues relating to children, families and prevention and has a private practice devoted to promoting healthy relationships. She is the author of a forthcoming book, Divorce from the Eyes of a Child: A Complete Guide to Fostering Children's Resilience. Together, she and her husband have 7 children.
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Families in Turmoil: Reducing Risk and Fostering Resilience in Chidren and Youth
Catherine Holland Petersen, Esq.
Stacey Platt is a clinical professor of law and the associate director of the
ChildLaw Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where her focus is the training of
law students to represent children in legal proceedings.
Ms. Platt has dedicated her legal career to representing low-income children and families. At the ChildLaw Clinic, Ms. Platt and her students represent children involved in child protection cases and high conflict custody disputes. In addition to clinical supervision, Ms. Platt co-teaches the weekly clinic seminar, and serves as a faculty lecturer and trainer in several other law school courses involving child and family law, as well as trial practice.
Before joining Loyola, Ms. Platt was a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, where her areas of focus were domestic violence and children's issues. She has extensive experience representing parents, caretakers and children in abuse and neglect proceedings in the juvenile court and in custody and visitation proceedings in the domestic relations court, including work on significant appeals. She has also worked on several class action lawsuits pursuing reform of Illinois' child welfare and education systems.
Ms. Platt has co-authored several articles on topics including failed adoption, older youth aging out of foster care, and the educational rights of homeless children. She co-wrote and appeared in a video module of the American Bar Association's National Training Program on the Representation of Children in High Conflict Custody Disputes. Ms. Platt serves on the editorial board of Family Court Review, a publication of Hofstra University and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
Ms. Platt has served as a teacher for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy in numerous litigation training programs for children's advocates and domestic violence advocates.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Platt was a caseworker in the New York City child welfare system. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and her law degree, cum laude, from New York University School of Law.
Session:
Ms. Platt has dedicated her legal career to representing low-income children and families. At the ChildLaw Clinic, Ms. Platt and her students represent children involved in child protection cases and high conflict custody disputes. In addition to clinical supervision, Ms. Platt co-teaches the weekly clinic seminar, and serves as a faculty lecturer and trainer in several other law school courses involving child and family law, as well as trial practice.
Before joining Loyola, Ms. Platt was a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, where her areas of focus were domestic violence and children's issues. She has extensive experience representing parents, caretakers and children in abuse and neglect proceedings in the juvenile court and in custody and visitation proceedings in the domestic relations court, including work on significant appeals. She has also worked on several class action lawsuits pursuing reform of Illinois' child welfare and education systems.
Ms. Platt has co-authored several articles on topics including failed adoption, older youth aging out of foster care, and the educational rights of homeless children. She co-wrote and appeared in a video module of the American Bar Association's National Training Program on the Representation of Children in High Conflict Custody Disputes. Ms. Platt serves on the editorial board of Family Court Review, a publication of Hofstra University and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
Ms. Platt has served as a teacher for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy in numerous litigation training programs for children's advocates and domestic violence advocates.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Platt was a caseworker in the New York City child welfare system. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and her law degree, cum laude, from New York University School of Law.
Session:
- May 1 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Considering Allegations of Domestic Violence in Cases of Disputed Custody
Sanford M. Portnoy, Ph.D. is Director of The Center for the Study of
Psychology and Divorce at the Massachusetts School of Professional
Psychology. He is a nationally recognized expert in the use of
psychological interventions to reduce the emotional impact and
harm of divorce, and for teaching lawyers the skills to
effectively manage difficult and highly emotional clients.
He has presented invited addresses at a number of national
lawyers conferences, has provided workshops and institutes for
lawyers and judges around the country, and has written for a
number of family law and psychology publications, including a
regularly featured series of articles for The American Journal of
Family Law. He has been recognized by the Family Law Section of the
American Bar Association for "his contributions to advancing the
field of family law," and his firm, Portnoy Associates,
provides client management consultation and divorce coaching among its services.
Dr. Portnoy is the author of the Family Lawyer's Guide to Building Successful
Client Relationships, published by the ABA in 2000. He maintains an
active clinical practice in Newton, Mass., and has served as
President of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, is
on the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological
Association, and is a member of APA's Committee for the
Advancement of Professional Practice.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Attorneys Working with High Conflict Families
Marsha Kline Pruett, Ph.D., M.S.L. is the Maconda Brown O'Connor Professor at Smith College
School for Social Work. She has twenty-five years of clinical experience with individuals,
couples, families and children. Her expertise includes couples counseling and consultation,
father involvement consultation, legal case development for attorneys, mediation, and
collaborative divorce. Her scholarly works include professional articles, curricula, chapters,
and a book co-authored with California Attorney/Mediator Diana Mercer; Your Divorce Advisor:
An Attorney and Psychologist Lead You Through the Legal and Emotional Landscape of Divorce
(2001 by Simon and Schuster). This book is the subject of a Telly award-winning DVD produced
by the Foundation for Better Living. She edited a special issue of the Family Court Review,
"Separated and Unmarried Fathers and the Courts" (2003), and a collection of Family Court
Review papers titled "Overnights and Young Children" (2005).
Her research on a model continuum of effective and cost-efficient
co-parenting services in the Connecticut courts, father involvement, and
parenting plans for young children earned her the prestigious Association of
Family and Conciliation Courts Stanley Cohen Award for Distinguished Research.
In addition to her academic writings and clinical consultations, she disseminates her
work through speaking engagements and consultation to judges, attorneys, mental health
professionals, and parents.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (1:30-3:00 p.m.)
Crafting Visitation and Access Orders
Justine Rakich-Kelly is the Executive Director of the Children's Law Center of
Connecticut, an organization which has as its mission is the representation of
indigent children caught in high conflict custody and visitation disputes.
The focus of all of the Children's Law Center's programs (Representation,
Mediation and Lawline) is to provide assistance to separating families so
the challenges they face during their transition do not negatively impact
their children. This includes education, mediation, and advocacy.
Since coming to the Children's Law Center in October of 2007, Justine
has led the organization into new jurisdictions, expanding the staff
to meet the needs of Connecticut's most vulnerable citizens. Justine
has participated as a member of the Family Law Section of the Connecticut
Bar Association (CBA) since 2000, and has served on the Executive Committee
since June of 2006. Justine has also been a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar
Foundation (CBF) since 2001 and has served on its Education Subcommittee
since 2005. In the summer of 2006, Justine served on the Governor's Commission
of Judicial Reform. Prior to that she was a member of the Communication between
the Courts Subcommittee of the Governor's Commission on Divorce, Custody and
Children, a group she participated in at the request of the Honorable
Anne C. Dranginis (ret.). She is a member of the Family Law Section of the
HCBA, AFCC and the NACC.
Justine lives in CT with her husband and three teenage children.
Session:
Justine lives in CT with her husband and three teenage children.
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Model Mental Health and Children's Law Projects
Linda M. Rio Reichmann is currently a part-time consultant on children's legal issues.
She was the founding Director of the American Bar Association's Child Custody Pro Bono
Project, a position she held from February 2001 until September 2006. For six
years prior to the ABA, Linda was the Community Services Director at the Chicago Bar
Association and Foundation, a position she created. In that job, Linda
focused on the legal needs of children and families. She set up assistance
desks at local courthouses to serve families and children involved in domestic
violence, divorce, and private guardianships. She established and ran the first
pro bono adoption program in Cook County, in partnership with the Illinois
Department of Children and Family Services. She also served for five years
on the Board and Executive Committee of Prevent Child Abuse-Illinois.
Linda has always been an active pro bono volunteer for children, including taking volunteer appointments from the Circuit Court of Cook County to represent children in contested divorce cases. Among prior pro bono work, Linda argued and won the Illinois appellate court case that set the precedent for standby guardianships for minors in Illinois. Linda also volunteers in her local community, including as First Vice-President of the Madison Elementary School PTO, and as a past-president of the Gifted Education Cooperative of Elementary School District 181.
Linda received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1988, and her B.A. in American Studies from Northwestern University in 1985. Following law school, Linda was a clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and then in private practice at Sidley & Austin for five years.
Linda and her husband have three children—two boys (ages eleven and nine) and a five-year-old daughter adopted from China.
Session:
Linda has always been an active pro bono volunteer for children, including taking volunteer appointments from the Circuit Court of Cook County to represent children in contested divorce cases. Among prior pro bono work, Linda argued and won the Illinois appellate court case that set the precedent for standby guardianships for minors in Illinois. Linda also volunteers in her local community, including as First Vice-President of the Madison Elementary School PTO, and as a past-president of the Gifted Education Cooperative of Elementary School District 181.
Linda received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1988, and her B.A. in American Studies from Northwestern University in 1985. Following law school, Linda was a clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and then in private practice at Sidley & Austin for five years.
Linda and her husband have three children—two boys (ages eleven and nine) and a five-year-old daughter adopted from China.
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Model Mental Health and Children's Law Projects
Barton R. Resnicoff has been designated a Board Certified Family Law Trial Specialist by
the National Board of Trial Advocacy. His practice has been primarily limited to matrimonial
and family law for almost 30 years. He is currently a member of the Council of the Section of
Family Law of the American Bar Association as well as serving as the chair of the SCOPE and
Correlations Committee, as well as past co-chair and vice chair of its Child Support Committee
and a past co-chair of its Marital Property Committee, and an executive member of the section's
Custody and Alimony Committees; as well as a member of the Family Law Section
of the New York State Bar Association and its Committee on Substantive Law
Relating to the Family; as well as a member of the Queens, Nassau and Suffolk
County Bar Associations and their matrimonial and family law committees. He is a
past Chair and Vice Chair of the committee in Queens; and a past Co-Chair of the
Custody Sub-Committee in Nassau. He has written articles and/or authored chapters
for publications of the American, New York State, Queens and Nassau County Bar
Associations, as well as lecturing to the American, Queens and Nassau County Bar
Associations and other organizations concerning matrimonial and family law.
He has extensive trial and appellate practice in this area throughout the New
York. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court,
Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals,
Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
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Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Hearsay: Uses & Problems in Child Custody Proceedings
Shelley A. Riggs, Ph.D., earned her doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology
from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a licensed psychologist and
currently an associate professor at the University of North Texas, where she
teaches couple/family therapy and conducts research on family mechanisms and
risk factors that contribute to mental health and illness. In particular, she is
interested in the role of disruption or loss of attachment relationships, and
personal trauma or abuse in the development of psychological dysfunction.
Dr. Riggs' expertise includes the assessment of attachment bonds throughout the
lifespan, including the Strange Situation for infants, the Adult Attachment
Interview, and various self-report measures of attachment style in middle
childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Third Parties' Custodial Interests
Larry R. Rute is a partner in Associates in Dispute Resolution, LLC, Topeka, Kansas. This firm
provides a wide range of alternative dispute resolution services, including mediation,
commercial arbitration, private judicial proceedings, and conflict resolution systems design.
Larry earned his Juris Doctorate (JD) from Washburn University School of Law and received a
Master of Law (LLM) degree from the University of Washington. He is an Adjunct Professor at
Washburn University School of Law, teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution, a course
encompassing negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
Larry began his legal career as a public interest lawyer, serving as lead trial counsel in hundreds of civil litigation matters, including multiple civil rights class action matters in both state and federal court. In the mid-1990's, as Mediation Coordinator for Midland Mediation and Settlement Services in Topeka, Kansas, he established and administered the Kansas Human Rights Commission's voluntary employment discrimination mediation program, the EEOC's employment discrimination mediation program in Kansas and western Missouri. He also was responsible for the establishment of the Kansas Supreme Court's family law "Access to Justice" Mediation Program. He has arbitrated and mediated hundreds of state and federal commercial, employment, professional malpractice and personal injury civil cases in Missouri and Kansas.
Larry serves as an arbitrator on behalf of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), National Arbitration Forum (NAF), and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), f/k/a NASD.
Larry is a member of several Sections and Committees of the American Bar Association; Chair of the ABA's Family Law Section Dispute Resolution Committee; a Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators; Kansas Supreme Court Domestic High Conflict Committee; founding member of Mediators Without Borders; a Past-President of the Kansas Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section; Kansas Association of Counsel for Children; Kansas Bar Association; Kansas Trial Lawyers Association; Heartland Mediator's Association; Kickapoo Tribal Court; Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; Topeka Bar Association and Kansas Appleseed. He has twice received the Kansas Bar Association's Outstanding Service Award.
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Larry began his legal career as a public interest lawyer, serving as lead trial counsel in hundreds of civil litigation matters, including multiple civil rights class action matters in both state and federal court. In the mid-1990's, as Mediation Coordinator for Midland Mediation and Settlement Services in Topeka, Kansas, he established and administered the Kansas Human Rights Commission's voluntary employment discrimination mediation program, the EEOC's employment discrimination mediation program in Kansas and western Missouri. He also was responsible for the establishment of the Kansas Supreme Court's family law "Access to Justice" Mediation Program. He has arbitrated and mediated hundreds of state and federal commercial, employment, professional malpractice and personal injury civil cases in Missouri and Kansas.
Larry serves as an arbitrator on behalf of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), National Arbitration Forum (NAF), and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), f/k/a NASD.
Larry is a member of several Sections and Committees of the American Bar Association; Chair of the ABA's Family Law Section Dispute Resolution Committee; a Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators; Kansas Supreme Court Domestic High Conflict Committee; founding member of Mediators Without Borders; a Past-President of the Kansas Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section; Kansas Association of Counsel for Children; Kansas Bar Association; Kansas Trial Lawyers Association; Heartland Mediator's Association; Kickapoo Tribal Court; Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; Topeka Bar Association and Kansas Appleseed. He has twice received the Kansas Bar Association's Outstanding Service Award.
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Mediation
Karen J. Saywitz, Ph.D., is a developmental and clinical psychologist on the faculty of the UCLA
School of Medicine, Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities in the Department of
Pediatrics. She is an international expert on interviewing children and has authored numerous
articles regarding the capabilities, limitations, and needs of children involved in the legal system.
Her articles have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous U.S. appellate courts.
She has served on the faculty of the National Judicial College. In her research on interviewing
and preparing children for court, she develops and tests innovative interventions to enhance
children's memory performance, communicative competence, emotional resilience, and resistance
to suggestion. Recently, she authored a bench guide on child witnesses for California judges
published by the Center for Judicial Education and Research.
Dr. Saywitz has won national awards for her pioneering research, outstanding teaching, and distinguished clinical service. In 2006, she received the Nicholas Hobbs Award for Child Advocacy by American Psychological Association (APA), Division of Child, Youth and Family Services. In 2003, she received the Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. She received a commendation from the California Attorney General's office for her work on the California Research and Advisory Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. Dr. Saywitz has served as the President of the APA Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services. She currently chairs the APA Inter-divisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She is the Associate Director of UCLA TIES for Adoption, a program providing mental health services to families adopting children from the child welfare system funded jointly by the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. She is the former Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
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Dr. Saywitz has won national awards for her pioneering research, outstanding teaching, and distinguished clinical service. In 2006, she received the Nicholas Hobbs Award for Child Advocacy by American Psychological Association (APA), Division of Child, Youth and Family Services. In 2003, she received the Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. She received a commendation from the California Attorney General's office for her work on the California Research and Advisory Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. Dr. Saywitz has served as the President of the APA Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services. She currently chairs the APA Inter-divisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She is the Associate Director of UCLA TIES for Adoption, a program providing mental health services to families adopting children from the child welfare system funded jointly by the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. She is the former Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Session:
Sherri Goren Slovin has practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio for 28 years with a concentration
on Family Law. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1979,
she began practicing with a law firm, and two years later opened a solo practice.
Dissatisfied with court outcomes that often left families torn, Sherri added
mediation to her practice in 1987 and in 1997 began working in the collaborative law model.
Her practice is now focused on collaborative practice and mediation although she continues to
litigate on a limited basis.
Sherri is a member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and sits on its Executive Committee. She is a founding member and past Chairperson of the Collaborative Family Lawyers of Cincinnati.
Sherri has published numerous articles on Collaborative Practice and Collaborative Negotiation, and provides workshops and trainings internationally.
Sherri has been given the highest (AV) peer rating by Martindale Hubbell and has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. She was named to the Top 50 Female Lawyers in Ohio by Ohio Super Lawyers.
Sherri is an Ohio Certified Family Relations Law Specialist.
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Sherri is a member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and sits on its Executive Committee. She is a founding member and past Chairperson of the Collaborative Family Lawyers of Cincinnati.
Sherri has published numerous articles on Collaborative Practice and Collaborative Negotiation, and provides workshops and trainings internationally.
Sherri has been given the highest (AV) peer rating by Martindale Hubbell and has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. She was named to the Top 50 Female Lawyers in Ohio by Ohio Super Lawyers.
Sherri is an Ohio Certified Family Relations Law Specialist.
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Collaborative Practice/Collaborative Law: It's a Process, Not an Oxymoron
Carlton D. Stansbury is a shareholder with Burbach & Stansbury S.C. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He focuses his practice in family law. He is Chair-Elect of the State Bar of Wisconsin Family Law Section
and Treasurer for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
He is Past-Chair of both the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin, Inc. and
Society of Family Lawyers. He is chair of the Finance Committee for the ABA Family
Law Section and formerly was a Council member. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America.
He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law with distinction and then clerked
for the Honorable Daniel P. Anderson of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He has spoken
to audiences throughout the country on custody and placement, collaborative family law,
UCCJEA, child support, spousal support, hot tips, legislation, office management,
appellate procedure, social security and QMCSOs. He has published articles in the
Iowa Law Review, the Wisconsin Lawyer, the Wisconsin Journal of Family Law, the New
York Domestic Relations Reporter, the Family Advocate, GPSOLO,
American Journal of Family Law, and Annual Wiley Family Law Update.
He authored a book entitled The Family Law Practitioner's Guide to Social Security
(American Bar Association 1995). He is a member of the Wisconsin Association of
Mediators and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
He lectures frequently to local and national audiences.
Session:
Session:
- May 1 (3:15-4:45 p.m.)
Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege of Health Care Records and Psychotherapy Notes
Matthew J. Sullivan, Ph.D. is a psychologist who received his undergraduate degree from
Stanford University and his doctorate in clinical/community psychology from University of
Maryland. He has written articles, presented and done trainings at numerous national and
international venues on topics such as high-conflict divorce, Parent Coordination and child
alienation. He is currently serving on the editorial board of the Journal of Child Custody
and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Task Force on Parenting Coordination.
He was recently appointed to an American Psychological and American Bar Association multi-year
working group on legal and psychological interventions with children and families.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Appropriate Identification and Consideration of Children's Interests
Timothy M. Tippins, Esq. is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Albany Law School, an Adjunct
Professor of Forensic Psychology at Siena College, and a private practitioner who has engaged in
matrimonial and family law practice since 1975.
He devotes his practice exclusively to serving as special counsel and consultant to other family law practitioners on a nationwide basis, serving as trial and appellate counsel, with special emphasis on the presentation and cross-examination of expert mental health witnesses. He is a Diplomate in the exclusive American College of Family Trial Lawyers, an organization that limits its membership to fewer than 100 trial attorneys nationwide.
Tippins has served in all major professional leadership positions in the New York family law community, including President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers - New York Chapter, Chair of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section, and Chair of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Family Law.
Tippins is a regular feature columnist for the New York Law Journal, where his numerous articles regarding custody evaluations have been published. He has lectured before virtually all of the major professional organizations, such as the National Judicial College, NYS Judicial Institute, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, ABA, NYSBA, and the New York State Psychological Association.
Together with Dr. Jeffrey P. Wittmann, Tippins is the author of "Empirical and Ethical Problems with Custody Recommendations: A Call for Clinical Humility and Judicial Vigilance," published in the April 2005 issue of AFFC's Family Court Review. Tippins and Wittmann have taught their Empirical Forensic Model at the NYS Judicial Institute, the National Judicial College, and other forums around the country.
Session:
He devotes his practice exclusively to serving as special counsel and consultant to other family law practitioners on a nationwide basis, serving as trial and appellate counsel, with special emphasis on the presentation and cross-examination of expert mental health witnesses. He is a Diplomate in the exclusive American College of Family Trial Lawyers, an organization that limits its membership to fewer than 100 trial attorneys nationwide.
Tippins has served in all major professional leadership positions in the New York family law community, including President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers - New York Chapter, Chair of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section, and Chair of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Family Law.
Tippins is a regular feature columnist for the New York Law Journal, where his numerous articles regarding custody evaluations have been published. He has lectured before virtually all of the major professional organizations, such as the National Judicial College, NYS Judicial Institute, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, ABA, NYSBA, and the New York State Psychological Association.
Together with Dr. Jeffrey P. Wittmann, Tippins is the author of "Empirical and Ethical Problems with Custody Recommendations: A Call for Clinical Humility and Judicial Vigilance," published in the April 2005 issue of AFFC's Family Court Review. Tippins and Wittmann have taught their Empirical Forensic Model at the NYS Judicial Institute, the National Judicial College, and other forums around the country.
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Custody Evaluation Standards and Guidelines: Setting the Frame
Dana Toole has 20 years of experience with Child Welfare issues in Montana.
She received a Bachelors degree from University of Montana in 1984 and a Masters of
Social Work from University of Montana in 2004 with an emphasis in child welfare and
dispute resolution. Dana's experience includes work in adolescent and teen parent
group care; child protective services; foster/adoptive studies; guardian ad litem case
work; child forensic interviewing; training CASA volunteers; Lewis and Clark County
Foster Care Review Committee; current member of Montana's Region IV Child and Family
Services Advisory Council. Currently, Dana is the Montana Legal Services Mediation
Program Developer, and is also the Director of the Lewis and Clark County Child
Advocacy Center of AWARE.
Session:
Session:
- May 3 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Model Mental Health and Children's Law Projects
Gretchen Viney (B.A. with highest honors, University of Wyoming, 1974; J.D. with honors,
University of Wisconsin, 1978) is a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School,
where she is the associate director of the Lawyering Skills Program.
She also maintains a private practice in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Ms. Viney is recognized for her
work and expertise as a court-appointed attorney guardian ad litem for children, the elderly, and the
disabled. She is a Sauk County, Wisconsin contract guardian ad litem and family law mediator. She
is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars, most often on the topic of guardian ad
litem practice. Recent family law articles include "Children as Witnesses in Family Court,"
Wisconsin Journal of Family Law (Volume 26, No. 3; July, 2006) and "The Impact of Act
130 on Family Court Guardian ad Litem Practice," Wisconsin Journal of Family Law
(Volume 25, No. 2; April, 2005).
Ms. Viney has served on a number of professional committees and is currently secretary of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
Session:
Ms. Viney has served on a number of professional committees and is currently secretary of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
Session:
- May 1 (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Families in Turmoil: Reducing Risk and Fostering Resilience in Chidren and Youth
Judge Maxine Aldridge White completed her B.A. degree magna cum laude in Sociology at
Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi (1973), and her Masters in Public
Administration at the University of Southern California (1982) and her Juris Doctorate at
Marquette University Law School (1985), where she was a member of the Marquette Law Review.
Since August 1992, Judge White has presided in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, a state trial court of general jurisdiction. She is the chief judge for the Family Division and presides over cases including, divorce, paternity, enforcement, and domestic abuse and child abuse injunctions. Previously she presided over large claims in civil cases including medical negligence, insurance, personal injury, labor and contract cases, and municipal and administrative agency disputes. From 1992 to 2000, she presided over criminal cases including dedicated courts with homicide, sexual assault, sexual predator, domestic violence and drug prosecution cases.
From 1985 to 1992 she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She prosecuted major crimes and represented government agencies and interests in civil and bankruptcy cases before the federal district and bankruptcy courts and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1991 she was appointed legal advisor and instructor for a federal law enforcement academy in Brunswick, Georgia.
Very active in extra judicial affairs, Judge White serves on the Wisconsin Judicial Council, the Executive Committee of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Judicial Conference, the Executive Committee of the First Judicial District, and is co-chair of the First Judicial District's Family Bench Bar Committee. She has received numerous awards and commendations from legal and civic organizations including the State Bar of Wisconsin's Judge of the Year Award (2001), the National Association of Women Judges' Judge Mattie Belle Davis Award (2004), and the Marquette University National Alumni Award (2007).
Session:
Since August 1992, Judge White has presided in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, a state trial court of general jurisdiction. She is the chief judge for the Family Division and presides over cases including, divorce, paternity, enforcement, and domestic abuse and child abuse injunctions. Previously she presided over large claims in civil cases including medical negligence, insurance, personal injury, labor and contract cases, and municipal and administrative agency disputes. From 1992 to 2000, she presided over criminal cases including dedicated courts with homicide, sexual assault, sexual predator, domestic violence and drug prosecution cases.
From 1985 to 1992 she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She prosecuted major crimes and represented government agencies and interests in civil and bankruptcy cases before the federal district and bankruptcy courts and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1991 she was appointed legal advisor and instructor for a federal law enforcement academy in Brunswick, Georgia.
Very active in extra judicial affairs, Judge White serves on the Wisconsin Judicial Council, the Executive Committee of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Judicial Conference, the Executive Committee of the First Judicial District, and is co-chair of the First Judicial District's Family Bench Bar Committee. She has received numerous awards and commendations from legal and civic organizations including the State Bar of Wisconsin's Judge of the Year Award (2001), the National Association of Women Judges' Judge Mattie Belle Davis Award (2004), and the Marquette University National Alumni Award (2007).
Session:
- May 2 (1:30-4:30 p.m.)
Mock Trial—Custody Hearing
Dr. Wittmann is a forensic psychologist, trial consultant, and divorce mediator whose
practice concentrates on trial support for attorneys in custody and access matters.
He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at SUNY Albany in the Counseling Psychology Department
where he teaches forensic psychology at the doctoral level and he serves as a trial
consultant for major law firms in the Manhattan area and in upstate New York.
Dr. Wittmann is a nationally recognized expert on the intersection of law and
psychology and on professional practices in the child custody area, is regularly
on the faculty for training seminars offered to attorneys and mental health
professionals, and has been a frequently utilized scholar-trainer for judges in
Family, Supreme, and Appellate courts. Dr. Wittmann has provided invited testimony to
both the New York State Senate and the Matrimonial Commission, provides opinions on
divorce-related matters to print, television, and radio media, and has served as a
program consultant to ABC News. He is on the editorial board of the New York Family
Law Monthly and is the author of "Custody Chaos, Personal Peace" (Perigee, 2001) and of
numerous scholarly articles regarding forensic psychology. The Empirical Forensic Model
which he developed with Timothy Tippins Esq. is now taught in many venues nationally as a
template for critiquing the custody evaluation process. The Tippins-Wittmann critique of
current custody evaluation processes received both front page NY Times attention and
publication in the Family Court Review in April of 2005.
Session:
Session:
- May 2 (8:30-10:00 a.m.)
Admissibility of Expert Testimony in Cases of Disputed Custody
John A. Zervopoulos, Ph.D., J.D.
John A. Zervopoulos, Ph.D., J.D., ABPP directs PsychologyLaw Partners, a
forensic consulting service providing consultation to attorneys on social science
issues and on Frye and Daubert evidence concerns in expert testimony. In
addition, his practice has focused on court-appointed forensic psychological
evaluations as well as counseling and mediation with adults and children in
family law cases. Dr. Zervopoulos has written extensively and presented to
lawyers and mental health professionals on family law and Frye and Daubert
topics.
Dr. Zervopoulos received his B.A. from Wheaton College (IL) in 1974, his Ph.D. in counseling/clinical psychology from the University of North Texas in 1981, and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1993.
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Dr. Zervopoulos received his B.A. from Wheaton College (IL) in 1974, his Ph.D. in counseling/clinical psychology from the University of North Texas in 1981, and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1993.
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