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Juvenile court committee gives updates on laws, procedures
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 26, 2016
Created in 2013, the Akron Bar Association juvenile court committee is charged with keeping attorneys who work in the practice area updated on changes in the laws and trends so they can provide feedback to the Summit County Juvenile Court, said co-chair Dianne Curtis.
The committee, which has 44 members, usually meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Summit County Juvenile Court at 650 Dan St., with the exception of July, August and December.
“We generally offer one-hour CLEs every other month,” said Curtis, a sole practitioner in Twinsburg. “The other meetings feature a roundtable discussion based on issues raised by practitioners.”
Co-chair Laurie Boveington said most of the meetings are well attended.
“There is no fee to join the committee other than being a member of the Akron Bar Association,” said Boveington, who has been a member since the committee started. “We also maintain an email list of members to inform them of upcoming events and links to presenter materials. There is also a Facebook group, which legal professionals and court staff can request to join.
“We try to provide as much educational material as possible on a wide variety of juvenile legal topics so that members understand how the juvenile court system works and how cases progress, especially newer practitioners,” said Boveington, a sole practitioner in Cuyahoga Falls, who focuses on guardian ad litem and parent defense appointments in abuse, neglect and dependency cases as well as probate and estate planning matters.
Curtis said court staff and caseworkers are encouraged to attend committee meetings.
“Our trainings are designed to address issues for anyone working with this specialized population,” said Curtis.
Born in Pittsburgh, Curtis received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a child welfare certificate from the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating from The University of Akron School of Law, she took a job at Hoover Six and Associates in Cuyahoga Falls, opening her own firm in 2014. She is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/guardian ad litem.
“The biggest change in juvenile law has been the focus on the reunification of families and the push to provide more in-home services,” said Curtis, who recently began her third year as committee co-chair. “In Summit County, human trafficking is an important issue and many of our families have also been impacted by the heroin epidemic.”
Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio is considered a driving force behind the committee’s creation since she is the one who let the Akron Bar Association know about the desire expressed by attorneys practicing in her court to have a means to convene.
“Many lawyers who practice in juvenile court suggested that a specific Akron Bar committee would be helpful and I thought it was very much needed as well,” said Judge Tucci Teodosio.
“It provides a lot of support to those who practice in juvenile court,” Judge Tucci Teodosio said. “There are a lot of studies and grants that practitioners need to know about and it’s a great way for us to keep the bar association in the loop and hear about ideas as to how to improve things.
“For example when we started the Family Reunification through Recovery Court (specialized docket addressing substance misuse and other family challenges with the goal of family reunification) we sought input from defense attorneys who were part of the committee.”
Akron attorneys Tony Paxton and Kani Harvey Hightower were the first to co-chair the committee. Hightower, a litigation attorney and business director at Lynda Harvey Williams & Associates, said handling juvenile court cases requires specialized knowledge.
“The kind of cases we deal with involve parents and juveniles, which is very different than the cases that come before other courts,” said Hightower, who continued to co-chair the committee until July 2016 when she became a member of the Akron Bar Association Board of Trustees.
“I handle a lot of neglect cases and being a part of the committee has allowed me to have discussions with prosecutors and learn about new programs that are relevant to my practice area,” said Hightower, who is also a member of the investigative subcommittee, which assists in the preliminary investigation of allegations of misconduct involving Summit County attorneys.
“Our co-chairs plan one-hour CLEs and work with Juvenile Court Magistrate Robert McCarty to select topics for two half-day CLEs he organizes each year,” said Hightower.
Judge Tucci Teodosio said the court now takes a different approach to handling juvenile offenders than it did back in the ‘90s.
“The University of Cincinnati has examined the effect of locking up juveniles versus probation and out of that a number of risk assessment tools have been developed to help attorneys and judges decide what course of action is most likely to help a juvenile,” said Judge Tucci Teodosio.
“Programs have been developed to assist kids with trauma-related issues. Additionally, sealing laws have become more lenient,” said Judge Tucci Teodosio. “It’s now possible to seal a juvenile charge in six months versus two years.”
Curtis said the juvenile court is the first one to be certified to address teenage trafficking in Summit County.
“We are responding to the state’s Safe Harbor law protecting victims from treatment as criminals,” said Curtis.
In the future, Curtis said she wants the committee to start a few social events.
“We would like to put together a picnic and invite attorneys who’ve been newly admitted to the bar,” said Curtis.
“While we do not have a specific mentoring program, there is a lot of camaraderie in our group and seasoned attorneys often take younger lawyers under their wings.”
The next meeting takes place on Sept. 8 at noon at the juvenile court. Social worker Marion McCoy-Foster will discuss her book “Who Am I & Why do I Exist,” which Boveington said focuses on the importance of a child’s name and the impact multiple moves can have on children in foster care.
On Oct. 13, Dr. Paul McPherson, director of the CARE (Children at Risk Evaluation) Center at Akron Children’s Hospital, will address the factors involved in making a diagnosis of child abuse.
One hour of CLE credit is available for each presentation. The programs are free but there is a small charge for the CLE credit. Those interested can register at akronbar.org. Any legal professional who wants to be added to the juvenile court committee’s email list should send an email to juvctcomm@gmail.com.