Family Law CLE: ‘Not Your Everyday Custody Case’

Advanced Issues Facing Custody Litigators and Guardians ad Litem

October 6, 2017 │ 7.5 CLE Hours

$150 for members of the DeKalb Bar Association Family Law Section
$170 for non-members or on-site registration
$75 for Legal Aid / legal services / court staff / law students (mail-in registration)

Register at dekalbbar.org

Presented by The DeKalb Bar Association Family Law Section 
Alice Limehouse and Georgia Lord, Program Co-chairs
State Bar of Georgia Conference Center, 104 Marietta St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Here is the program outline for the day:

8 am: Registration and coffee

8:15 am: Welcome and Opening Remarks 

8:20 am: The Rules Governing Custody Claims by Third Parties 
Sheri Tomblin Lake, Esq. | Smith & Lake LLC

9 am: Guardian Ad Litem Investigations: Grappling with Challenging Issues 
Panel facilitated by M. Debra Gold, Esq.

Parents with Disabilities: M. Debra Gold, Law Offices of M. Debra Gold
Working with School Systems (and Obtaining Information from them): Suzann M. Wilcox, Esq., Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Is That Illegally Obtained Evidence?!?!: Aisha Blanchard Collins, Esq., Blanchard Collins Law Firm, LLC
Key Practice Pointers Amidst GAL Investigations: Dawn E. de Klerk, Esq., Ellis Hoyle King de Klerk LLC

10 am: The Finer Points of Pleading in Custody Cases 
Divida Gude, Esq., Law Offices of Divida Gude; Judicial Officer in the Fulton Superior Court Family Division

10:30 am: Break

10:45 am: What is the Best Way for the Court to Hear the Child’s Voice?
How can the court, or counsel, most effectively elicit accurate information from the children whose custody is at issue? How should the need for such information be balanced with concerns regarding the impact of the process on the children?
Gerald Bruce, Esq., Program Attorney for J4C, Division of Communications, Children, Families and the Courts, Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts; Former Judge, Juvenile Court, Enotah Judicial Circuit.

11:15 am: What Are the Best Practices to Use When a Concern of Child Sexual Abuse Appears in a Child Custody Case 
If an allegation or outcry of child sexual abuse is made, it is vital that it be investigated in a manner best calculated to yield an accurate conclusion. What are the “Dos” and “Don’ts”?
Panel Facilitated by Charles E. Bailey, Esq., Law Office of Charles E Bailey
Daniel A. Bloom, Esq., Richardson Bloom & Lines LLC
Charles P. Boring, Esq., Cobb County District Attorney’s Office
Mesha Ellis, Ph.D., L.S.C., Ellis Evaluation and Consulting Services; A.A.S.E.C.T. Certified Sex Therapist

Noon: Break; pick up box lunch (provided) 

12:15 pm: Recent Case Law Developments in Child Custody (Working lunch; box lunch provided)
Justin H. Hayes, Esq., Justin H Hayes P.C.
Louis J. Tesser, Esq., Kessler & Solomiany LLC

12:45 pm: Custody Disputes Involving International Travel or Residency (Including what you need to know about the Hague convention) 
Sarah McCormack, Esq., Hoelting & McCormack, LLC

1:15 pm: Presenting Your Case More Effectively During Hearings and Trials 
Panel Facilitated by Georgia K. Lord, Esq., Georgia Lord Law
Hon. Bensonetta Tipton Lane, former Fulton Superior Court Judge
Ivory T. Brown, Esq., Ivory T. Brown PC
Rebecca Crumrine Rieder, Esq., Hedgepeth Heredia & Rieder LLC

2 pm: Issues of Legal Privilege and Psychological Ethics that Regularly Arise in Child Custody Cases 
Robert B. Remar, Esq., Rogers & Hardin LLP
Kim Oppenheimer, Ph.D., Atlanta Psych Consultants

2:30 pm: Break

2:45 pm: Alcohol and Drugs: Moving Beyond Basic Approaches 
Planning For Potential Relapse; Effective and Age-Appropriate Ways to Talk With Children About a Parent’s Addiction; What Constitutes ‘Successful’ Treatment; Why ‘Controlled Or ‘Limited’ Alcohol And Drug Use Doesn’t Work; The Need For Ongoing Treatment To Safeguard the Safety and Wellbeing of Children.
Panel Facilitated by Alice Limehouse, Esq., Alice W. Limehouse Family Law
Janet Fluker, L.P.C., C.P.C.S., Decatur Family Psychiatry
Rob Heller, L.P.C., N.C.C., Decatur Family Psychiatry

3:30 pm: The Judges’ Perspective on Custody Litigation: A Panel Discussion 
Facilitated by Kyla S. Lines, Esq., Richardson, Bloom & Lines, LLC
Honorable Christopher S. Brasher: Judge, Superior Court of Fulton County
Honorable Courtney L. Johnson: Judge, Superior Court of DeKalb County
Honorable Robert D. Leonard: Judge, Superior Court of Cobb County

4:50 pm: Adjourn
Please join us after the seminar for a hosted reception at the Hotel Glenn SkyLounge