Children and the Law - NACC Child Law Attorneys and Lawyers

The NACC 31st National Juvenile and Family Law Conference is designed for professionals from the fields of law, medicine, social work, and education. The program focus is the practice of children's law through interdisciplinary training and education.

The NACC presents the 13th Annual RMCATI program together with the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. This special 5-day intensive experimental training program is designed to provide child advocates with the trial skills necessary to handle dependency, delinquency, and criminal and private custody cases.

The Institute is designed for all attorneys who work in children's cases, including children's attorneys (guardian ad litems, law guardians, etc.), state and agency attorneys, family law practitioners, prosecutors, and public defenders.

Refusal of Therapy for Children: Factors Affecting Judicial Decisions to Override Parental Decisions by Don Bross, JD / Ph.D.

Advocating for the Child as Parent: Teen Parents and the Child Welfare System by Sarah Katz, JD

Double Jeopardy: Youth in Foster Care Who Commit Delinquent Acts by Madeline Freundlich, MSW / JD / LLM and Sara Munson, JD

The Children's Legal Rights Journal is a quarterly professional practice journal for child welfare, juvenile justice, and family law professionals. Now in its 22nd year, CLRJ is published by William S. Hein & Co., Inc., under the editorial direction of the ABA Center on Children and the Law, Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, and the National Association of Counsel for Children . CLRJ is indexed in the Current Law Index and Index to Legal Periodicals and runs approximately 60 pages per issue. The annual subscription rate is $75 but is available to NACC members at a discounted rate of $58 annually. To subscribe, contact Hein toll free at 800-828-7571, ISSN 0278-7210, or contact the NACC for more information.

Law Student Scholars. Students interested in applying for fellowship positions at the NACC should contact us for more information.

The NACC National Child Advocacy Resource Center is available for member use. The Resource Center provides referrals, resource information, and consultation. You may access the resource center by clicking here or calling toll free 1-888-828-NACC.

NACC 2008 Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award. Nominations for the 2008 award are being accepted. The award is given annually to individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the well-being of children through legal representation and other advocacy efforts. Send nomination letter and supporting documentation to NACC Awards, 1825 Marion Street, Suite 242, Denver, CO 80218. Contact the NACC for more information. The deadline is June 1, 2008.

2008 NACC Outstanding Affiliate Award. Nominations are being accepted for the NACC 2008 Outstanding Affiliate Award. The award will be presented to the affiliate that best fulfills the mission of the NACC on the local level. The mission of the NACC is to achieve the well being of children by promoting multidisciplinary excellence in children's law, establishing the legal interest of children and enhancing children's legal remedies. Affiliates should submit an application in letter form together with supporting documentation to NACC Affiliate Award, 1825 Marion Street, Suite 242, Denver, CO 80218. Submission deadline is June 1, 2008.

NACC 2008 Law Student Essay Competition. The NACC is accepting essays for the 2008 Law Student Essay Competition. The winning essay will be published in the 2008 Children's Law Manual, and the winner will be given $1,000, a one-year NACC membership and a scholarship to the 2008 conference in Savannah, Georgia. Essays will be evaluated on the importance of the topic to advancing the legal interests of children, persuasiveness, and quality of research and writing. Mail essays with contact information to NACC Student Essay Competition, 1825 Marion Street, Suite 242, Denver, CO 80218 by June 1, 2008. Essays should be submitted on disk together with a hard copy.

Roper v. Simmons , 2004 U.S. LEXIS 836 (2004), United States Supreme Court. The NACC joined the Juvenile Law Center and nearly fifty other child advocacy organizations in an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition of the juvenile death penalty. The amicus curiae brief focused on scientific research indicating the developmental difference between juveniles and adults. The brief also discussed the increased likelihood of juveniles to engage in risky behavior and the emerging research on the propensity for juveniles to give false confessions. Additionally, the brief explored the vast number of state laws limiting juvenile's rights. Amici argued that the array of state laws limiting the rights of youth to participate in activities ranging from military service to getting a tattoo reflect societies' belief that youth do not have the same decision-making capabilities as adults. To view the brief in its entirety please visit the American Bar Association's website at http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/simmons/simmonsamicus/
In re Josiah Z., 118 Cal. App 4th 944, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 759 (2004), California Supreme Court. The California Supreme Court will consider whether appellate counsel has the authority to dismiss an appeal on behalf of her child client. The NACC joined the Northern California Association of Counsel for Children (NCACC) in an amicus curiae letter to the California Supreme Court, urging the Court to consider the whether appellate counsel has the authority to dismiss her child clients appeal. In August, the California Supreme Court granted review of this case. The NACC and NCACC will file an amicus curiae brief with the California Supreme Court.
Anaya v. Nebraska , Nebraska Supreme Court. The NACC joined CHILD , Inc. in an amicus curiae brief supporting the state's practice of screening infants at birth for metabolic disorders. The test consists of a �heel prick�, which detects Phenylketonuria and other metabolic disease. The parents refused to have their infant screened because their religion forbids removing blood from one's body. The district court found that the test is minimally invasive and the state's interest in preventing death and disability in children trumps the parents' religious beliefs. The parents appealed the district court's order. CHILD's position supports the state's authority to require health screenings over religious objections.
Dixon v. Georgia , Georgia Supreme Court. The NACC joined the Children's Defense Fund, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Center for Youth Law, and many other groups in filing an amicus curiae brief in this criminal statutory rape case arising from a consensual teenage sex act. Dixon , 18, was sentenced to 10 years for criminal child molestation. The amici argued that Dixon was wrongfully convicted of child molestation based on the principals that the sentence represents cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution and it is not consistent with the intent of the child molestation law.
K.M. v. E.G . , California Court of Appeals, Fifth Appellate District. The NACC and the Northern California Association of Counsel for Children joined in filing an amicus curiae brief in this case involving a parentage dispute between former domestic partners over twin daughters born from in vitro fertilization. The amici argued that the trial court erred in failing to protect the interests of the seven-year-old twins by not appointing counsel or guardian ad litem for them, nor recognizing them as parties to the action.
In re Pamela G. , New Mexico Court of Appeals. The NACC filed a brief in support of the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department, discussing the admissibility of a child's out of court statement under the residual hearsay exception. In this sexual abuse case the Department's main proof was the four year old child's out of court statements to various professionals and her foster mother, the respondent's challenged it under the Confrontation Clause. The NACC brief addressed what due process rights parents are entitled to in civil child abuse and neglect hearings.