A Judge’s Guide

Enhancing the Representation of Children in Private Custody Cases:
Resources and Lessons Learned from the
ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project
2001-2008
The American Bar Association Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project
operated from January 2001 to June 2008. The Project's mission was to enhance and
expand the delivery of legal services to children involved in divorce, adoption,
guardianship, unmarried parent, and civil protective order matters. The Project’s focus
was to design, implement, enhance and support programs and policies fostering children's
well-being in custody cases, and to provide children meaningful participation in the
process. The Project served and will continue to serve as a critical national resource in
the important area of child custody.
This article summarizes the work of the project during its seven-and-a-half years.
Although the Project no longer exists as a separate staffed entity, its legacy and benefits
will continue through resources available at the American Bar Association and other
entities committed to ensuring critical representation for children in private custody
cases.
I. History of the project
In 1998, Ann Liechty, a dedicated child law advocate, received the ABA Pro
Bono Publico Award. Only thirteen months later, in September 1999, Ann’s life was cut
short by cancer. In late 2000, Ms. Liechty’s aunt and uncle, Melita and Bill Grunow,
made a generous donation of over $1,000,000 to the American Bar Association Fund for
Justice and Education. The ABA formed a Planning Committee, which included Steve
Scudder, Greg McConnell, Krista Kauper and Judy Williams. Glenda Sharp and
members of the Family Law Section were soon added to the Committee. The Committee
established a structure for the Project, which would be co-sponsored by the Standing
Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the Family Law Section, and housed in
the ABA Center for Pro Bono. The Planning Committee also set up an operating budget
to run through August 31, 2005. The remaining funds were set aside in an endowment,
their use to be determined further into the Project’s life. It was later decided by Project
staff and the Advisory Committee to use the endowed funds, as well as additional funds
raised by the Project, to award grants to local programs, and to continue the Project
through June 2008.
The Project’s founding director, Linda Rio Reichmann, started in 2001. She and
the Planning Committee soon established an Advisory Committee. After meeting with
key constituents and experts from around the country, the staff and Advisory Committee
set forth that the Mission and Goals for the ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono
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