Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist representing children in foster care detention, custody, and placement trials and hearings, including advocacy for clients’ mental health and education needs. Supervise, direct and coordinate the representation and case related decision making of all cases assigned to the attorneys in my courtroom. Chair of Attorney Strategy Meetings, Legislative Policy Committee, and Task Force that created a protocol for hiring, preparing and examining expert witnesses. Work with partner organizations on policy issues affecting foster children and youth. Extensively researched and litigated the privacy of therapist-patient communications.

Represent children in foster care detention, custody and placement trials and hearings, including advocacy for clients’ mental health and educational needs. Conduct courtroom argument and witness examination, trial preparation and legal research, client intake and interview, case management, mediation and settlement, and negotiation with county agencies and service providers. Member, member county multi-agency task force solving problems in educational services for foster youth.

Taught classes in Legal Ethics and in how film and television portray lawyers and the legal system.

Advised state judges’ professional association, executive board, and policy committees on legal and political issues. Provided legislative analysis and advocacy in many areas, including civil, criminal, juvenile, family, probate and mental health law. Testified in committee hearings of state legislature. Accelerated legislative program’s pace and effectiveness. Edited and published book for legal journalists, The Courts and the News Media. Managed association web site.