Meghan E. Healy
DiRenzo & Bomier, LLC
Neenah
Kelsey J. Mullins
Office of Court Operations
Madison
Kari Niesen-LaScala
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin
Madison
Christine R H Olsen
Olsen Law Office
Wausau
Gricel Santiago-Rivera
RISE Law Center
Madison
8:30 a.m. DV 101: It includes so much more than physical violence
- Definitions of domestic abuse
- Types of domestic abuse
- Importance of “checking” your beliefs, biases, and assumptions
- Potential consequences for victims disclosing abuse
Kelsey J. Mullins, Kari Niesen-LaScala, Gricel Santiago-Rivera
9:20 a.m. What’s actually going on? Defining the Nature and Context of Abuse
- Not all domestic abuse is the same
- Importance of asking the right questions to flush out abuse
- Documenting and reviewing red flags
- Examining ALL forms of abuse, per law
- Overview of coercive control
- Understanding potency, pattern, primary perpetrator, parenting problems, and perspectives of the child
- Impact of abuse on parenting
Meghan E. Healy, Gricel Santiago-Rivera
9:45 a.m. What does it mean? Evaluating the Implications of Abuse
- Determining how an abusive person parents
- How do the children experience and react to the abuse
- What is the impact of the abuse on the children
- Can co-parenting be achieved? How?
Kelsey J. Mullins, Christine R H Olsen
10:10 a.m. Break
10:25 a.m. Accounting for Abuse in Recommendations to the Court
- Distinction between ‘divvying things up” and “making things work”
- Priorities of recommendations in accounting for abuse
- Recommending safety for the children
Meghan E. Healy, Kari Niesen-LaScala
10:45 a.m. Accounting for Abuse in Recommendations to the Court, continued
- Distinction between ‘divvying things up” and “making things work”
- Priorities of recommendations in accounting for abuse
- Recommending safety for the children
Christine R H Olsen, Gricel Santiago-Rivera
11:05 a.m. Case scenario: 4-part analysis
Meghan E. Healy, Kelsey J. Mullins, Kari Niesen-LaScala, Christine R H Olsen, Gricel Santiago-Rivera
11:15 a.m. Ethical Issues for GAL’s in Cases with Documented Domestic Abuse
- Obligation and responsibility when the GAL does not believe parent(s)’ wishes and/or stipulation are in best interest of child due to domestic abuse being present.
- Confidentiality concerns when a victim does not wish information such as health or medical records to be revealed to court.
- Does duty to protect best interest of child extend to duty to protect parent who is a victim?
- Addressing nonspecific orders such as “reasonable notice” when there is known domestic abuse.
- GAL’s ethical obligations if recommendations are not accepted by the court or the court doesn’t apply the legal standard for domestic abuse cases.
- Is there an ethical obligation to interview the child? At what age? How might evidence of the impact of witnessing domestic abuse on children be obtained without an interview?
- Issues with interim authority in cases where domestic abuse is present.
Meghan E. Healy, Kelsey J. Mullins , Kari Niesen-LaScala, Christine R H Olsen, Gricel Santiago-Rivera
12:05 p.m. Question and Answer Session (Live)
12:15 p.m. Program Concludes
- Identify signs of domestic abuse in disputed custody cases
- Understand the effects of different types of abuse on children
- Recognize the impacts of abuse on parenting and co-parenting
- Learn how to account for abuse in recommendations to the court
- Comply with statutory requirements to accept GAL appointments
- Guardians ad litem for children
- Family law attorneys
- Juvenile court attorneys
- Probate attorneys
- Attorneys who want to start taking GAL appointments
- Judges and court commissioners making custody and placement decisions
- General practitioners
Book Bonus!
Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook
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