Advanced Skills & Techniques for Family Law 2026

Navigate the complexity of a neurodivergent child’s best interest in family cases

Family law cases involving neurodivergent children and children with complex mental health needs are continuing to grow and Wisconsin practitioners must be prepared to recognize and address the unique legal and practical issues these cases present. What does a workable physical placement schedule look like for this child? What is required for this child's best interests? The basic analysis does not stretch far enough, and the issues these cases raise are easy to miss until they are in front of a judge.

Advanced Skills and Techniques for Family Law puts family law attorneys, pediatric medical and mental health professionals, guardians ad litem (GAL), and court personnel in the same room to work through it together. Faculty will examine how neurodivergence and mental health influence legal decision-making in disputes over legal custody, physical placement, and parenting, cover the clinical concepts attorneys need to understand along the way, and offer practical guidance for working effectively with families, evaluators, GALs, and the courts. For guardians ad litem, that means a clearer view of how a child's needs should inform the recommendation you ultimately make.

Key takeaways:

• Recognize how neurodivergence and complex mental health needs in children raise important legal and practical issues in disputes over legal custody, physical placement, and parenting
• Identify the clinical and developmental concepts attorneys need to understand what a child's diagnosis means for the legal analysis
• Analyze how a child's neurodevelopmental and mental health needs inform best interest determinations and other legal decision-making
• Apply practical strategies for representing children and families in these matters, including the unique procedural and practical challenges they tend to present

Advanced Skills and Techniques for Family Law is designed to give you a deeper understanding of where child development, mental health, and Wisconsin family law intersect, along with strategies for advocating more effectively for children and families.