Practical Tips to Avoid and Manage TPR Appeals 2023

  • OnDemand seminar
  • Attorney Regulation
  • Children and the Law
View schedule and faculty
Practical Tips to Avoid and Manage TPR Appeals 2023

Produced by the Children & the Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin in partnership with State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE®

Handle with care

Terminating parental rights (TPR) is a life-changing event for the parent and the child. With high stakes on both sides, lawyers handling TPR cases need to have a firm understanding of the process, statutory requirements, and procedures involved. But there are common misunderstandings about Chapter 48 procedures, as well as the attorney’s role in investigating and litigating TPR cases.

At Practical Tips to Avoid and Manage TPR Appeals, you’ll learn to get TPR cases right the first time, avoiding messy appeals. Experienced practitioners will provide clarity on procedural steps in TPR cases and an overview of the appeals process. You’ll learn more about:

  • The scope of investigation and discovery
  • Conducting adequate discovery
  • Strategies for succeeding in TPR cases
  • Creating a strong record to avoid appeals
9:00 am
Top Five Ethics Issues in Cases Involving Children

The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Ethics Hotline fields more than 3,800 phone calls annually from Wisconsin lawyers seeking ethical guidance on tough situations that arise in their practice. Hear an overview of the top five issues that arise in cases involving children and assess what you’d do if presented with these common issues

10:00 am
Break
10:15 am
Avoiding and Handling Messy TPR Appeals

Kimberly K. Bayer, Matthew W. Giesfeldt

  • Overview of Chapter 48 procedures and timelines
  • The attorney’s role in investigation and discovery
  • Shifting gears: why discovery in TPR cases differs from criminal cases
  • Distinguishing elements of the offense from facts supporting the elements
  • Understanding timelines and workflow of TPR appeals
  • Creative issues that arise in appeals
12:00 pm
Lunch, provided by Children and the Law Section
1:00 pm
All attendees are invited to attend the Children and the Law Section meeting
4:00 pm
Networking Happy Hour
Aviva Meridian Kaiser
State Bar of Wisconsin · Madison
Kimberly K. Bayer
Attorney at Law · West Allis
Matthew W. Giesfeldt
State Public Defenders Office · Madison

  • Learn statutory procedures and timelines unique to termination of parental rights (TPR) cases
  • Distinguish your role in TPR cases from your role in criminal proceedings
  • Know your responsibilities when it comes to investigation and discovery
  • Discover effective strategies you can use in TPR cases
  • Learn what is or is not appropriate to petition for summary judgment
  • Mitigate the human costs of appeal for the parties involved
  • Troubleshoot ethical concerns in cases involving minors
  • Children & the Law Section members
  • Criminal law practitioners
  • Family law practitioners
  • Guardians ad litem
  • General practitioners

Children & the Law Section members recieve discounted tuition to the in-person seminar, live webcast, and webcast replays! Log in to view discounted rates.

The Children & the Law Section is pleased to offer ten scholarships to attend Practical Tips to Avoid and Manage TPR Appeals on October 27, 2023 at the State Bar Center in Madison. Eligible applicants must be section members with less than five years of practice experience. Interested members should complete the scholarship application and submit it by October 18, 2023 to Kara Olson at kolson@wisbar.org.

Attendees of the in-person event on October 27, 2023 are invited to stick around after the program for a networking lunch sponsored by the Children & the Law Section. Attendees are also invited to stay for the section board meeting from 1–3 p.m. If you wish to attend the board meeting, please RSVP by emailing Chantel Richardson at crichardson@wisbar.org by Wednesday, October 18.

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