Clallam County Bar

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Archives for March 2012

Northwest Justice Survey

The Northwest Justice Project (NJP) seeks your input on how best to use our very limited resources to meet the critical legal needs of our low-income community. We, like you, must ensure that our limited resources are targeted to the greatest needs of our client populations, including needs that underlie the legal problems that we work on. Importantly, we want to ensure that we are aware of the comprehensive needs of low-income persons in our community, including problems that result from issues and/or barriers our clients or you as service providers encounter when interacting with the very systems that are designed to help.

NJP’s mission is to secure justice through high quality legal advocacy that promotes the long-term well-being of low-income individuals, families and communities in Washington. Please help us accomplish this mission and determine how best to maximize our resources for the best outcomes by taking just a few minutes to complete an on-line survey at the below link. Hopefully, you will find the link easy to use. Brief instructions on how to complete the survey are included at the link. If the on-line survey proves problematic for you, please let me know and I will make sure you receive a hard copy of the survey to complete. Thank you in advance for the valuable role you play in our community and for helping NJP with this critically important effort.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N6H3DYL

Sincerely,

Steve Robins
Attorney at Law
360-452-9137 ext. 204
[email protected]

Lower Court Appeals

The Court is interested in establishing a contract for representation of indigent defendants on lower court appeals.  If you have an interest in assuming coverage for lower court appeals, please provide a letter of interest, together with a proposal for an hourly rate and a suggested cap amount per appeal.  Transcript costs are considered a separate expense and not part of an hourly rate or capped amount.

The number of lower court appeals is minimal:

2012-Two pending appeal cases are in need of court appointed counsel;

2011-The Court appointed counsel on 4 lower court appeal cases;

2010-The Court appointed counsel on 1 lower court appeal case

2009-The Court appointed counsel on 3 lower court appeal cases.

Please submit your proposal on or before April 6, 2012.

CLE: The Significance of Childhood Attachment in a Rural Family Law Practice

CLE Presenters

Dr. Sarah Baxter
Dr. Andrew Benjamin
Dr.  Marian Birch
Dr. Mary Wegman
Mark Baumann, J.D. Program Chair

CLE Workshop Materials

Top 10 Attachment-Informed Do-Ables for Lawyers and Judges
By Mark Baumann, J.D., Rachel Hardies, MA, and Sarah Baxter, Ph.D.
Dr Birch’s Top 10 attachment needs
Bibliography (This bibliography identifies books, articles and websites. The debate around overnights for children under age 3 is largely championed by Kelly and Lamb, who believe overnights can be OK in certain situations, and by Jennifer McIntosh and Judith Solomon, who found in their research that overnights cause significant stress and behavioral problems. Some of the articles around this debate are identified.)

Developmental Guidelines for Parenting Time (Baris and Garrity model modified by Dr. Baxter)

Still Face Experiment (YouTube video demonstrating the dramatic consequences of  attuned and non-attuned parenting)

Brain scan image comparing healthy and traumatized brain

Powerpoint presentations

Dr. Benjamin’s parenting evaluation powerpoint
Dr Birch’s introdcution to the science of attachment

Attachment informed parenting time guidelines
Residential Guidelines – Spokane County (try using the rotate button in the PDF reader for better readability)
Arizona Supreme Court Parenting Time Guidelines
Minnesota Supreme Court Parenting Time Guidelines
Indiana Rules of Court Parenting Time Guidelines

Links to other resources

The Australian government is undertaking perhaps the largest longitudinal study (10,000 people) of the impact of divorce on children. In 2010, several interim conclusion reports were issued. You can access the full report (169 pages, although the first 5 pages provide an excellent summary) here: Post-separation parenting arrangements and developmental outcomes for infants and children- Collected Reports 2.

Here is a link to a shorter McIntosh discussion article on Infants and overnight care Dr. Jennifer McIntosh. The study finds significant problems for children under age 3 who have overnights away from their primary caregiver, and but not for children 4 and older.

Washington standards for parenting evaluations by psychologists

Brain Rules for Babies
Between Parent and Child
Top Ten Ways to Protect Your Kids (By Dr. Joan Kelly)

ACES Study
Zero to Three
Healing Resources: Preventing and Healing Stress Related Problems

CLE INFORMATION

Date & Time: Thursday, April 26, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (including 30 minute free lunch)
Location: Clallam County Superior Court room #3 (family court), Port Angeles, Washington
Topic: The Significance of Childhood Attachment in a Rural Family Law Practice
Price: $85, includes lunch and (est) 4 CLE credits

Prevention Works of Clallam County and the Clallam County Bar Association are pleased to present a unique training about childhood attachment for all family law judges, lawyers, staff and other legal professionals who work with families.

Leading this training is Andrew Benjamin J.D., Ph.D., ABPP. He is the director of the Parenting Evaluation/Training Program (PETP) and is a Clinical Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Law at the University of Washington. Joining him will be a panel of three psychologists: Sarah Baxter, Ph.D., Marian Birch, Ph.D., and Mary Wegman, Ph.D. These presenters are all highly experienced clinicians and expert witnesses with expertise in attachment theory as applied in the court system.

Childhood attachment is considered by many to be the most important psychological discovery in the last 50 years. Substantial neuroscience research supports the connection between childhood attachment and brain development. This research also connects the quality of attachment to how a child behaves as an adult. More recently, attachment theory and its practical implications to family law are changing the nature of the practice.

The seminar panel will define attachment, describe good and bad parenting in terms of promoting healthy attachment, describe the incredible life-long harm poor attachment can cause, and discuss the practical significance for family court practitioners. Information will be provided to help judges and lawyers recognize when a family needs help fostering healthy attachment, what judges can specifically order to facilitate improved attachment (and healthier children) that are low or no cost, and how lawyers can counsel clients to appreciate and take advantage of the benefits of adopting an attachment-focused approach.

The seminar format will be two lectures followed by a question and answer period, and a panel discussion of common fact scenarios with audience involvement. This seminar will be highly focused on applying attachment principles to real-world situations in family court, rather than dependency court, where resources are limited,. Participants are encouraged to provide fact patterns or case examples for discussion. If you have a situation you would like the panelists to discuss, please email Mark Baumann.

As far as we know, this is the first attachment seminar focused specifically on the needs of a family court where resources are poor and the solutions are focused on what judges, lawyers and parents can do to improve the lives of children. The panel is very excited to be able to present this topic and I hope you will you join us for this very special opportunity. Lunch will be provided and I expect to be approved for 4 CLE credits. Information about materials will be provided as available.

To register, send your name, email address, bar number, and a check payable to Prevention Works (we apologize that we cannot accept credit card payments) and mail them to:

Mark Baumann
PO Box 2088
Port Angeles WA 98362
360-452-8688
([email protected])

Will search: William Henry

William P. Henry Sr. (Sgt. Clallam County Sheriff Dept. Retired) passed away  this past weekend. Fred Defrang is assisting his children and they have not been able to locate a Will. If anyone has any information, please contact Fred.

Fred DeFrang
DeFrang Executive Services
Legal Investigations/Process Service
1125 East First Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360.460.0463
360.452.1168 (Fax)
www.defrangexecutiveservices.com
[email protected]

Bar lunch and APR 28 discussion-vote, March 16, 2012

Hello All,

This is to remind you we have a CLE Luncheon at the Skills Center this Friday, March 16, at noon. Gary Colley will present a one-hour seminar on conservation easements. This presentation has been approved by the WSBA for one CLE credit. The cost for the CLE is $20. Checks are to be payable to Clallam-Jefferson Pro Bono Lawyers. Lunch is $9.50. Checks are to be payable to Skills Center.

Please note also I will discuss briefly the proposed amendment to the Admission to Practice Rules that would allow nonlawyer legal technicians to provide certain legal services. I intend to request authorization by the CCBA to send letters to each Washington Supreme Court Justice and to Stan Bastian, WSBA President, expressing our Bar’s opposition to the proposed rule.

Earlier, I circulated, via email, material regarding this matter, including pro and con essays from the Bar News and a copy of the proposed rule. I encourage you to read that material in advance of this Friday’s luncheon. If you did not receive that email, or wish to receive it again, please let me know.

Thank you.
Simon Barnhart

CLE: The Significance of Childhood Attachment in a Rural Family Law Practice

To all Clallam-Jefferson-Kitsap bar members:

  • Topic:  The Significance of Childhood Attachment in a Rural Family Law Practice
  • Date & Time:  Thursday, April 26, 2012, 9-1
  • Location:  Port Angeles, Washington (specific place TBD)

Childhood attachment is considered by many to be the most important psychological discovery in the last 50 years. Supported by substantial neuroscience research in how childhood attachment is intimately tied to infant brain development, attachment theory has driven considerable change in how the fields of mental health, social work and conflict management understand the impact of early relationships on childhood development. More recently, attachment theory and its practical implications are being applied in the law. Prevention Works of Clallam County is pleased to announce a training on this essential topic for all family law practitioners and all other legal professionals who work with families.

The training will be led by Andrew Benjamin J.D., Ph.D., and Sarah Baxter Ph.D. Dr. Benjamin is a clinical Professor of Psychology and affiliate Professor of Law at the University of Washington, and Dr. Baxter is a clinical psychologist whose work specializes in children, families and trauma.

Please save the date. We will provide more information on the precise location, cost and agenda as it becomes available.

Mark Baumann
Port Angeles