Preparing for the Challenges of Child Witnesses

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Free CLE Teleconference

Sponsored by the ABA Section of Litigation Children’s Rights Litigation Committee and the ABA CLE Center, this teleconference will focus on the skills needed to work effectively with child witnesses. After listening to this teleconference and reviewing the print materials, participants will be able to:

• Outline the issues that must be addressed in order to prepare a child (both a young child and an adolescent) to be a witness
• Identify the ways that a lawyer can prepare a court or jury for the issues unique to a child witness
• Define competency and identify competency issues in child witnesses
• Recognize the importance of age-appropriate language and limits of language when examining a child witness in court
• Compare the unique issues related to child witnesses in a variety of different substantive areas (e.g. immigration and criminal cases) as well as in different roles (child as victim, witness or defendant)
• Plan for the courtroom: accommodations for child witnesses, opening statement, and use of physical tools

This teleconference is offered at no cost due to a grant from the Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education. Click here to register now.

• Margie Gualtieri (Moderator)
  Supervising Staff Attorney, Support Center for Child Advocates, Philadephia, PA
• Antoinette Kavanaugh
  Clinical Director, Juvenile Justice Division, Cook County Juvenile Court Clinic, Chicago, IL
• Jennifer G. Long
  Director, National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women, American Prosecutors Research Institute, National District Attorneys Association, Alexandria, VAL
• Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter
  Co-Director, Institute for the Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Marie D. Osborne
  Chief, Juvenile Division, Miami-Dade Public Defender, Miami, FL
• Carmen M. Chávez
  Executive Director, Casa Cornelia Law Center, San Diego, CA

1.5 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states/1.8 hours of CLE credit in 50-minute states have been requested in states accrediting ABA Teleconferences and Live Audio Webcasts*.

NY-licensed attorneys: This non-transitional CLE program has been approved for experienced NY-licensed attorneys in accordance with the requirements of the New York State CLE Board for 1.0 total NY CLE credits.

*States currently not accrediting ABA Teleconferences: DE, IN, PA, KS, OH