ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project
 
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The Project's mission is to enhance and expand the delivery of legal services to children involved in divorce, adoption, guardianship, unmarried parent, and civil protective order matters. With emphasis on identifying and developing "best practices," training, and technical assistance and to design and implement programs and policies fostering children's well-being and providing children meaningful participation to courts and pro bono programs, the Project serves as a critical national resource in the important area of child custody.
Structure:
The ABA's Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project is a joint project of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the Family Law Section, and is administered by the ABA Center for Pro Bono. You can contact the project
. The Project receives guidance from an extraordinarily experienced Advisory Committee. This project has been made possible through the generous gift of Melita and William Grunow, in memory of their niece, Ann Liechty, a dedicated child law advocate and a 1998 recipient of the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award.
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Goals:
- A demonstrable increase in the number of pro bono child custody projects and opportunities, and a corresponding increase in the number of pro bono attorneys and children served.
- Higher quality representation to children in child custody matters.
- Implementation of innovative delivery strategies designed to expand legal services access for children involved in child custody matters.
- Children and parents who are better educated and informed about custody proceedings, results, and impacts.
- Heightened judicial sensitivity and knowledge in making decisions regarding children's custody.
- Improved relationships between pro bono child custody attorneys and non-lawyer children's advocates, including doctors, psychologists, social workers, and teachers.
- Greater support and participation in legislation impacting child custody matters.
- Improved coordination and communication among groups working at a national level on the complex issues involved in child custody.
Standards of Practice for Lawyers Representing Children in Custody Cases
The Project has worked with the ABA Family Law Section on Standards of Practice for Lawyers Representing Children in Custody Cases. The Standards have been adopted by the Family Law Section, and approved by the ABA House of Delegates in August 2003. The Standards present best practices for procedural, practical, and ethical issues faced by lawyers representing children in private custody cases. Based in part on these standards, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is preparing a Uniform Representation of Children in Abuse and Neglect and Custody Proceedings Act. For the latest draft, see www.nccusl.org/Update/CommitteeSearchResults.aspx?committee=235.
The Project has developed a six-hour video training series, accompanied by a 700-plus page manual. This is a multi-disciplinary training program. This training applies to attorneys serving as either the Child's Attorney or the Best Interest Attorney in divorce, adoption, guardianship, unmarried parents' cases and civil orders of protection. The topics and speakers in the series are:
- Case Development with Stacey Platt, JD, Loyola Law School Professor;
- Cultural Competence with Suzette Speight, PhD, Loyola University Professor of Education;
- Ethical Issues with Gregg Herman, JD, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
- Child Development with Kathryn Shands, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Atlanta, Georgia;
- Hearing the Voice of the Child with Risa Garon, LCSW, Director, The Children of Separation and Divorce Center and Keith Schiszik, JD, Maryland;
- Mental Health Experts, Tests & Services with Robin Deutsch, PhD, Co-Director, Children and the Law Program, Boston, Massachusetts;
- Domestic Violence with Leigh Goodmark, JD; Child Abuse with Ann Haralambie, JD, Tucson, Arizona; and
- Alternative Dispute Resolution with Kelly Browe Olson, JD, LLM, University of Arkansas, Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic Director.
These tapes are available free of charge in VHS or DVD form to pro bono attorneys or programs. They can be used for self-study or as the basis for a group training with a local professional who is experienced in the representation of children. 6.20 hours of MCLE credit in 60-minute states and 7.40 hours of MCLE credit in 50- minute states have been requested in those states accrediting in-house programming and self-study. View the full brochure for more information.
Grants
2008:
The ABA Child Custody and Adoption Project has completed receiving applications for its 2007-2008 Mini Grants: Starting a Dialogue; Bringing People Together to Develop Pro Bono Child Representation Programs in Private Custody Cases.
2007:
The Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project (the "Project") is pleased to announce the award of $50,000 to programs and projects working to develop partnerships between pro bono attorneys and law students in the representation of children in private custody cases. 2007 Grant Recipients
2006:
The Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project (the "Project") awarded $50,000 to "Implement Standards and Trainings for Children's Attorneys." The Project's grants are being made in conjunction with its release of a six-hour video training series, accompanied by a 700-plus page manual. This is a multi-disciplinary training program which has been submitted for CLE credit approval. Training Series Report 2006 Mini-Grants.
2005:
The Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project awarded $50,000 to enhance the connection between legal advocacy for children in custody cases and critical mental health and social services. Five programs from around the country received funding. The Project produced a Guide which details the work of five programs who received funding from the ABA Child Custody Project in 2005, as well as information about other mental health and social service projects within child representation programs. View or download the Guide along with listed exhibits.
2003:
The Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project awarded grants to seven organizations actively engaged in delivering pro bono legal services to children in custody cases. The 2003 Mini-Grants, totaling $43,500, are funding efforts that use volunteer lawyers to represent indigent or needy children. See 2003 grant recipients for a list and description of recipients.
2002:
The Project awarded $40,000 to six programs. A list and description of 2002 mini-grant recipients can be found in the May 2002 Press Release. One of the 2002 grant recipients produced an online GAL training manual, which is available at www.ptla.org/vlp/gal.htm.
The Project is seeking donations to the mini-grants program. All donations are made payable to the Fund for Justice and Education and are tax-deductible as a charitable donation. For more information about our mini-grants program please or call (312) 988-5805.
Ann Liechty Child Custody Awards
The American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the Child Custody Pro Bono Project have established an annual award to honor an individual attorney or law firm that has represented or enhanced the representation of children in private custody cases.
Recipients of the Ann Liechty Child Custody Award
The 2007 Ann Liechty award recipient is Patricia Yoedicke.
Awards Video RealPlayer clip: 3:56 minutes 12.1 Mb
Awards Video Windows Media Player clip, 12.6 Mb
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Photo Courtesy Tony Smith Photography, Billings |
Child Custody Resources Library The Project has collected materials from many different sources, and has established a Child Custody Resource Library. This library is intended for use by programs, attorneys, and courts interested in child custody representation. Because our intended audience is programs, attorneys, and courts, and because that is who the materials are designed for, we do not send library documents to members of the general public except in exceptional circumstances. Documents in the library include training manuals, substantive articles, informational brochures, and other education materials. You can search the library database either by subject category or key words. Your search will generate a list of documents, the majority of which will be available for immediate viewing or printing through the "Full Text" link. If the document is not available on-line you may use the shopping cart to send a document request to the Project and you will receive your requested documents by mail.
Child Custody Programs Directory and Report
The Project has compiled information on programs around the country that directly represent children in private custody cases. The Project maintains a database of this information and has produced a Directory of these programs and a Report summarizing this information.
Fifty-one Jurisdiction Research Projects
The Project has researched child custody representation laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Researched issues include when attorneys are appointed, the role the attorney plays in the case, qualifications for the attorneys, and how such representation is funded. Summaries of the results are available for divorce cases and adoptions and guardianships for minors.
In addition, the project has researched the laws of all jurisdictions regarding cases in which domestic violence issues are raised, where custody or safety of children is an issue. Summaries are available for General Domestic Violence Statutory Provisions, Domestic Violence Raised in Custody Cases, Civil Order of Protection Cases, and Domestic Violence Definitions in Statutes Other than Custody.
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