Representation

On this week’s episode Bridget Mary McCormack, the recently retired chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, joins us to discuss appellate work and child welfare, and a scathing assessment of the system she was once responsible for overseeing. 

Hundreds of people have filed lawsuits over older sex abuse claims in California with a "lookback" window closing in December

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved a bill that could provide the first federal requirement of legal counsel to parents and children in child welfare cases, though there appeared to be some discussion of further negotiations on that before a vote of the full Senate.

My law students entered my virtual office dejected. Their teenage client had been accused of assault. As a result, he needed to change foster care placements, again. His mental health needs were not being addressed by the child welfare agency.

Last fall, in a cramped interrogation room, a NYPD detective read a 17-year-old his Miranda rights and asked whether he was willing to answer questions. Sitting next to the boy was his mother.

My client in a Michigan child welfare case had already suffered from Crohn’s Disease, which hampered his ability to hold a job and resulted in frequent hospital visits, when tragedy struck.

Too often, judges assume that the mere presence of legal counsel for parents in child welfare court means the system wasn't making mistakes.