A Judge’s Guide

Presentations
2007: Patricia Yoedicke, Minneapolis, MN
Project staff and consultants have made over 30 presentations about the project
and its recommendations, and have conducted 16 substantive workshops. Some of the
workshop topics were: Representing Children in Private Custody Cases; Working with
Child Clients; Representing Children in Civil Cases Involving Domestic Violence; the
Family Lawyer as Problem Solver; Standards for Lawyers Representing Children; and
Interdisciplinary Training regarding Representing Children in Custody Cases. The
Project also produced a program that is available free of charge at www.abanet.org as an
ABA Audio CLE program, entitled Representing Children in Civil Domestic Violence
Cases.
Child Custody Project List Serve
The Project established and ran a list service open to anyone involved in child
custody cases, particularly advocates for children. There were 175 subscribers to the list
service. The project posted, on average, two items per week, and responded to inquiries
from other subscribers. The list became an excellent mechanism for child advocates to
exchange information, network, and enhance their own programs.
Child Custody Pro Bono Project Report and Directory
In 2003 the Project completed a survey of all known programs representing
children in private custody cases. The results were turned into a report and directory,
which is posted on the project’s web site. Many programs have used the directory as a
resource to network with other programs, and volunteers have used the directory to find
pro bono programs at which to volunteer.
Project’s Web Site
The project’s web site, located at www.abachildcustodyproject.org, provides
information about the project as well as the results of research about laws and programs.
Several of the project’s resources and materials, including the training series, are
available as free downloads from the website.
Networking and Creating a Culture around Representing Children in Private
Custody Cases
One of the major accomplishments of the Project was to help create
understanding and support for the need for advocacy for children in private custody
cases. Project staff and consultants have encouraged conversations throughout the
country through the above activities, as well as through attendance at many meetings,
conferences, symposiums, and conference calls.
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