Mar., 2011 - Mecklenburg County Bar
Mar., 2011 - Mecklenburg County Bar
Mar., 2011 - Mecklenburg County Bar
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Volunteer Lawyer Program SPOTLIGHT<br />
Jacqueline Y. Ferrell<br />
Hunton & Williams Associate<br />
Jacqueline Y. Ferrell was described as<br />
“compassionate” and “completely reliable”<br />
by John Parker, Council for Children’s<br />
Rights’ Lead Attorney on Custody<br />
Advocacy. Parker continued to explain<br />
that, “She’s got at least one case going on<br />
all the time. She cares about the kids she<br />
represents.” To become involved in giving<br />
a voice to children’s rights, contact CFCR<br />
Volunteer Coordinator <strong>Mar</strong>y Schilli at<br />
704/372-7961 or Volunteer Lawyer<br />
Program Coordinator <strong>Mar</strong>y Jordan Samuel<br />
at 704/375-8624.<br />
MCB VLP: Current Employer / number of<br />
years with current employer?<br />
JYF: Hunton & Williams LLP / 8 years<br />
MCB VLP: Area of Practice / Expertise?<br />
JYF: Labor & Employment Law<br />
MCB VLP: Law School / Law School<br />
Graduation Year?<br />
JF: University of Virginia School of Law,<br />
Class of 2000<br />
MCB VLP: How did you begin working<br />
with Council for Children’s Rights?<br />
JYF: Hunton & Williams has been involved<br />
with the Council for Children’s Rights for<br />
many years, and I pursued the opportunity<br />
to work with the CFCR soon after joining<br />
the firm. I have found the work to be<br />
extremely rewarding and have continued<br />
working with the CFCR and its custody<br />
advocacy program since my first case. In<br />
fact, I helped implement a new pro bono<br />
initiative last year at Hunton & Williams<br />
in which individual lawyers and staff<br />
members from the firm work together as<br />
part of the custody advocacy team. We also<br />
assist the CFCR by assigning the attorney<br />
and custody advocate ourselves whenever<br />
we receive a new case, to help cut down on<br />
the CFCR’s administrative burden.<br />
MCB VLP: What is a typical case like?<br />
JYF: The court appoints the CFCR to high<br />
conflict child custody disputes. The<br />
custody advocacy team for a case typically<br />
consists of three people: the CFCR<br />
attorney, an outside volunteer attorney and<br />
a volunteer custody advocate. We first<br />
interview the parties involved and then<br />
interview collateral witnesses, conduct<br />
home visits, gather records, conduct<br />
school visits and meet with the children.<br />
We also conduct settlement conferences,<br />
when they are appropriate, and prepare for<br />
and attend trial.<br />
Each case is different, but our goal is<br />
always to represent the children and to<br />
work for what is in their best interests.<br />
Often, the children are caught in the<br />
middle of custody disputes with no one<br />
watching out for what is best for them.<br />
That is where we get involved.<br />
MCB VLP: How many of these cases do you<br />
typically handle at one time?<br />
JF: I typically handle one case at a time.<br />
MCB VLP: What is your hope for the future<br />
with regard to these cases?<br />
F: I hope to continue working with the<br />
CFCR, which does such important work in<br />
supporting children. I hope that the end<br />
result in each<br />
case is to make a<br />
positive<br />
difference in the<br />
children’s lives. Jacqueline Y. Ferrell<br />
MCB VLP: What is the best advice you’ve<br />
received during your legal career?<br />
JF: Don’t lose sight of the forest for the<br />
trees. As lawyers we sometimes focus so<br />
much on the details that we have a hard<br />
time keeping an eye on the bigger picture.<br />
MCB VLP: What advice would you give<br />
others?<br />
JF: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We are<br />
all fortunate to work with very talented<br />
people who have different backgrounds<br />
and experiences, and we should learn as<br />
much as we can from each other.<br />
Collaboration is an important aspect of our<br />
work.<br />
MCB VLP: What is the most challenging<br />
part of your career?<br />
JF: Trying to fit it all in! I am constantly<br />
challenged by the demands of time. I am<br />
fortunate, however, to have a wonderful<br />
support system at home and at work, and<br />
that makes a big difference.<br />
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www.Meck<strong>Bar</strong>.org <strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2011</strong> 7