VOL. 5 NO. 8
AUGUST 2010
Register Now for AFCC's Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations
Early bird registration is available for AFCC’s Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations, October 28–30, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Take in autumn in New England, enjoy a crisp morning walk by the Charles River and see the historic sights of Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown and more. As for the Symposium, there are more than 75 presenters including the leading practitioners, authors and instructors in the field in a choice of four pre-symposium institutes, two plenary sessions, and 30 conference workshops.
Click here for the conference program...
Click here to register...
Click here to apply for a scholarship...
Click here to book your hotel room...
Special Issue of Hofstra Law Review on Collaborative Law Available Online
The Winter 2009 issue of Hofstra Law Review (Vol. 38, No. 2) is a special symposium issue dedicated to collaborative law. It includes the final version of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act (UCLA), approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws at its 118th annual Conference in July 2009. The law review articles arose from a conference on collaborative law held at Hofstra Law School in November 2009 and are written by leading academics, judges, collaborative law practitioners, and other professionals providing a behind-the-scenes look at the drafting process of the UCLA; insight into conference discussions; the repercussions that intimate partner violence may have on a collaborative law process; and the biological, ethical, and psychological issues that arise in the context of collaborative law.
Click here for Table of Contents and links to the articles...
Member News
Andrew Schepard, AFCC member from Hempstead, New York, has been nominated as one of the best law teachers in the United States as part of the “What the Best Law Teachers Do” project at Washburn University School of Law. The goals of this project are to identify the best law teachers in America, synthesize the principles by which they teach, and share these principles and the stories of these exceptional teachers by documenting them in a book. Andy is the Director of the Center for Children, Families and the Law and a Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of Law, as well as the Editor of Family Court Review.
Jill Egizii, AFCC member from Leland Grove, Illinois, is hosting a new radio show called Family Matters on www.syndicatednews.net, which airs on Wednesday nights biweekly from 7-8:30 EST. Jill is the author of a novel titled The Look of Love.
In Memoriam
Ellen Cowell, Founding Member of the AFCC Missouri Chapter
Ellen Kaye Cowell, nee Esterly, 42, died Wednesday, August 4, 2010, at her home in Webster Groves, Missouri, surrounded by her family after a courageous three-year battle with cancer. She graduated from Belleville Township East High School in 1985. After obtaining her BS degree from the University of Missouri in 1989, she went on to Auburn University and received her Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1991. She eventually worked with the St. Louis County Family Court as a mediator, a role she held for sixteen years. Ellen and AFCC Board member Andrea Clark were instrumental in founding the AFCC Missouri Chapter. AFCC extends condolences to Ellen’s colleagues, friends and family.
AFCC's 48th Annual Conference
June 1–4, 2011
Call for Presenters
Research, Policy and Practice in Family Courts: What’s Gender Got to do with it?
Gender issues are frequently front and center when it comes to family law. But how important is gender? What does the research tell us?
Click here for Call for Presenters...
Click here to submit a proposal by the October 6 deadline...
Read the following to see how gender factors into political decision making:
Why Gender Neurology Matters in Political Decision Making
By Ruth Bettelheim, Ph.D., courtesy of the Huffington Post
Neuroscience research confirms that, when stressed, men tend toward “fight or flight” reactions, while women prefer to talk—and that men take more risks, while women are generally more cautious. However, neither the mechanisms underlying these findings, nor their implications for businesses, politics and families, have been adequately explored.
Read more...
ASK THE EXPERTS
Top Ten Biases Often Overlooked by Child Custody Evaluators
By David Martindale, Ph.D., ABPP (forensic), St. Petersburg, Florida
[David Martindale is teaching an Institute, The Essentials of Child Custody Evaluations, at the Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations on October 28, 2010 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.]
None of us is free of bias. Biases come in various forms, but as the term is used here, it will refer either to any tendency to process the information that we gather in a manner that is strongly influenced by our personal and professional beliefs (attitudinal biases), thereby impairing our objectivity, or to the methods utilized by us in processing information (cognitive biases).
Read more...
FEATURED ARTICLE
The Peacemaking Option for Divorce and Dissolution of Domestic Partnerships: How Family Scientists Support Interest Based Conciliation and What This Means for Separating Couples
By Thurman W. Arnold III, courtesy of Mediate.com
Anyone who has experienced “adversarial divorce by Court process” knows that it is toxic, uncontrolled and uncontrollable, destructively expensive, and that it resolves only legal rights—typically unsatisfactorily—while ignoring the personal grieving and raw disruptions that accompany almost all relationship breakups. This lingering dislocation, pain, and resentment is perhaps the most devastating aspect of contested, adversarial divorce because not only does it fail to heal old wounds, it gouges new ones.
Read more...
FAMILY LAW IN THE NEWS
One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Child Custody Dangerous for Mum, Child
Courtesy of DNAIndia.com
Child custody evaluators should know how to differentiate between types of violence, because a one-size-fits-all approach to custody can endanger both mums and kids, according to new American research.
The University of Illinois study reveals that evaluator's beliefs generally fall into two categories, and one group is far more likely to prioritize safety for women and children when making custody decisions.
Read more...
[One of the researchers quoted in the above article, Jennifer Hardesty, Ph.D., will be part of a panel presenting a workshop at the Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations in Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts on October 29, 2010: New Research on Child Custody Evaluations and Domestic Violence: Implications for Practice and Professional Education.]
Eliminating Child “Custody” Tries to Ease Pain of Separation
By Denise Ryan, courtesy of the Vancouver Sun
The “c” word may soon be a thing of the past, at least for families negotiating the most painful aspect of separation and divorce: custody of their children.
Changes proposed for B.C.’s Family Relations Act include eliminating the terms “custody” and “access,” and replacing them with new concepts of “guardianship” and “parental responsibilities.”
Read more...
Adults Recall Negative Events Less Accurately than Children, Study Finds
Courtesy of ScienceDaily
Emotions—particularly those provoked by negative events—can cause distorted, inaccurate memories, but less often in children than in adults, according to a new Cornell study. The findings, published online in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, contradict prevailing legal and psychological thinking and have implications for the criminal justice system, report Charles Brainerd and Valerie Reyna, professors of human development and co-authors of the 2005 book The Science of False Memory.
Read more...
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
AFCC Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations
October 28–30, 2010
Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Cambridge/Boston, MA
AFCC 48th Annual Conference
June 1–4, 2011
Hilton Orlando Bonnet
Creek Resort
Orlando, Florida
AFCC Regional Training Conference
October 27–29, 2011
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
AFCC 49th Annual Conference
June 6–9, 2012
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
AFCC 50th Annual Conference
May 29–June 1, 2013
J.W. Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. Live
Los Angeles, California
Ontario Chapter Annual Conference
October 14–15, 2010
The Future of Family Law
University of Toronto Residences
Toronto, Canada
More information...
Texas Chapter Annual Conference
October 15–16, 2010
Children Caught in the Conflict: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
Houston, Texas
More information...
Arizona Chapter Annual Conference
January 28–30, 2011
Sedona, Arizona
More information...
California Chapter Annual Conference
February 11–13, 2011
Times They are a-Changing
The Mark Hopkins Hotel at Nob Hill
San Francisco, California
More information...
UPCOMING AFCC TRAININGS
Advanced Issues in Child Custody: The Child's Perspective
Mindy F. Mitnick, Ed.M., M.A. Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2010
Kansas City, Missouri
More information...
Parenting Coordination: Working with High Conflict Families
Robin M. Deutsch, Ph.D.
December 6–7, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland
Parenting Coordination: Advanced Practice Issues
Matthew J. Sullivan, Ph.D.
December 8–9, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland
Advanced Parenting Coordination Practice: Working with Parents and Children
Joan B. Kelly, Ph.D.
February 1–2, 2011
Tampa, Florida
Intractable Issues in Child Custody Disputes
Mindy F. Mitnick, Ed.M., M.A.
February 3–4, 2011
Tampa, Florida
JOIN AFCC
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Join or Renew...
AFCC offers member benefits that promote excellence in practice.
View member benefits...
ABOUT AFCC eNEWS
AFCC eNEWS is a monthly
e-newsletter published by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). AFCC eNEWS provides professionals with time sensitive and up-to-date topics including practice tips, research innovations and international news. Readers are welcome to forward this e-newsletter to interested colleagues.
AFCC eNEWS archive...
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editor@afccnet.org
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Phone: (608) 664-3750
Fax: (608) 664-3751
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
AFCC eNEWS - July 2010
VOL. 5 NO. 7
JULY 2010
AFCC is Going to Cambridge
AFCC is excited to bring the Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations to Cambridge, October 28–30, 2010. The program has an interdisciplinary faculty of more than 75 presenters with decades of experience in family law and child custody evaluations. It looks at child custody evaluation from all sides and presents more workshops than ever before. Register now by calling (608) 664-3750 or faxing in your registration to (608) 664-3751. Online registration will be available in August.
Read more...
Program brochure...
Things to do in the Cambridge/Boston Area
What better cities to be visiting than culturally savvy and energetic Cambridge and Boston, and during the crisp, cool days of fall? Here are a few ideas on how to spend your free time and some tips on how to get around.
Read more...
President's Message
AFCC President Bob Smith first attended an AFCC conference in 1994 and brings a rich background and history to the position.
Read his first President's Message here...
About AFCC's New President
Bob Smith, AFCC’s new President, has led an amazingly interesting life to date. When asked for a brief bio to share with AFCC members, this is what he wrote:
A Somewhat Brief Bio [or: Get a Grip and Settle Down Into One Field, Would Ya....] My work life has probably been marked by serendipity, more than anything else; and my parents used to lament that I would never work long enough for one company to get their retirement gold watch. Nevertheless, here’s how I made a living over the years...
Read more...
AFCC's 48th Annual Conference in Orlando
June 1–4, 2011
Call for Presenters Available Now
Research, Policy and Practice in Family Court: What’s Gender Got to do with it? Gender issues are frequently front and center when it comes to family law. But how important is gender? Do men and women parent differently? What is the relationship between gender and domestic abuse? Does the well-being of children differ based on their parenting time with mothers and fathers? What does the research tell us?
Read the call for presenters...
Submit a proposal...
Research on Shared Care Parenting and Family Violence
The Australian Government has just published reports of research since the 2006 family law reform in three important areas:
• Shared care parenting arrangements
• Family violence
• Post-separation living arrangements
Read the reports...
ASK THE EXPERTS
Top Ten Tips for Having a Successful Collaborative Practice Outcome
By Sherri Goren Slovin, President, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
There are things that you can do to maximize the chances of a successful outcome in a collaborative family case. Here are Sherri’s top ten tips.
Read more...
FEATURED VIDEO
Hugh McIsaac’s Concern for the Field
Courtesy of Mediate.com
Hugh McIssac, former President of AFCC and former editor of Family Court Review (then known as Family and Conciliation Courts Review) shares his concern of mediation being perverted into a form of evaluation. A court-connected mediator sees clients in highly stressful situations and makes recommendations to the court based on those encounters.
Click here to view...
FEATURED BLOGS
Medical Marijuana and Custody
From: Family Law Professor Blog
The Associated Press reports on recent cases denying custody and/or visitation to a parent making use of medical marijuana: More than a decade after states began approving marijuana for medical use, its role in custody disputes remains a little-known side effect. While those laws can protect patients from criminal charges, they typically haven't prevented judges, court commissioners or guardians ad litem from considering a parent's marijuana use in custody matters—even in states such as Washington, where complying patients "shall not be penalized in any manner, or denied any right or privilege," according to the law.
Read more...
Social Networking Creeps Into the Courtroom
From: Hey Annette
Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) continues to impact family law, lawyers and judges. A couple of interesting examples are given here.
Read more...
New iPhone App Receives International Attention
From: Minnesota Divorce and Family Law Blog
Michelle O'Neil, a divorce attorney in Dallas, Texas, recently posted about an app she helped create for the iPhone: Divorce Cost & Preps. She writes: The app serves two purposes. First, a person contemplating divorce can assess the hidden and direct costs of divorce, such as the cost of providing two houses, two wardrobes for the children, or transportation costs for exchanging the children between houses. Second, the app gives divorce clients a list of information and documents to gather for their lawyer to assist preparation of their divorce.
Read more...
AFCC Member News
Dianna J. Gould-Saltman, AFCC member from Los Angeles, California, was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Gould-Saltman has been a partner at Gould-Saltman Law Offices since 1997 and was a sole practitioner at the firm from 1994 to 1997. Previously, she was an attorney for the Law Offices of Lorraine C. Gollub from 1986 until 1994. Gould-Saltman worked for Gollub & O’Connor as a law clerk, then associate attorney from 1984 until 1986. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine. She is presently on the Board of Directors of AFCC.
AFCC Chapter Updates
AFCC Chapters are producing exciting programs and doing important work at the local level.
Read more...
Upcoming AFCC Training
Advanced Issues in Child Custody: The Child's Perspective
Mindy F. Mitnick, Ed.M., M.A.
September 30–October 1, 2010
Kansas City, Missouri
More AFCC trainings...
Other Conferences and Trainings of Interest
The American Bar Association Family Law Section, the National Association of Counsel for Children and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals are offering fall conferences and trainings.
More information...
JULY 2010
AFCC is Going to Cambridge
AFCC is excited to bring the Ninth Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations to Cambridge, October 28–30, 2010. The program has an interdisciplinary faculty of more than 75 presenters with decades of experience in family law and child custody evaluations. It looks at child custody evaluation from all sides and presents more workshops than ever before. Register now by calling (608) 664-3750 or faxing in your registration to (608) 664-3751. Online registration will be available in August.
Read more...
Program brochure...
Things to do in the Cambridge/Boston Area
What better cities to be visiting than culturally savvy and energetic Cambridge and Boston, and during the crisp, cool days of fall? Here are a few ideas on how to spend your free time and some tips on how to get around.
Read more...
President's Message
AFCC President Bob Smith first attended an AFCC conference in 1994 and brings a rich background and history to the position.
Read his first President's Message here...
About AFCC's New President
Bob Smith, AFCC’s new President, has led an amazingly interesting life to date. When asked for a brief bio to share with AFCC members, this is what he wrote:
A Somewhat Brief Bio [or: Get a Grip and Settle Down Into One Field, Would Ya....] My work life has probably been marked by serendipity, more than anything else; and my parents used to lament that I would never work long enough for one company to get their retirement gold watch. Nevertheless, here’s how I made a living over the years...
Read more...
AFCC's 48th Annual Conference in Orlando
June 1–4, 2011
Call for Presenters Available Now
Research, Policy and Practice in Family Court: What’s Gender Got to do with it? Gender issues are frequently front and center when it comes to family law. But how important is gender? Do men and women parent differently? What is the relationship between gender and domestic abuse? Does the well-being of children differ based on their parenting time with mothers and fathers? What does the research tell us?
Read the call for presenters...
Submit a proposal...
Research on Shared Care Parenting and Family Violence
The Australian Government has just published reports of research since the 2006 family law reform in three important areas:
• Shared care parenting arrangements
• Family violence
• Post-separation living arrangements
Read the reports...
ASK THE EXPERTS
Top Ten Tips for Having a Successful Collaborative Practice Outcome
By Sherri Goren Slovin, President, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
There are things that you can do to maximize the chances of a successful outcome in a collaborative family case. Here are Sherri’s top ten tips.
Read more...
FEATURED VIDEO
Hugh McIsaac’s Concern for the Field
Courtesy of Mediate.com
Hugh McIssac, former President of AFCC and former editor of Family Court Review (then known as Family and Conciliation Courts Review) shares his concern of mediation being perverted into a form of evaluation. A court-connected mediator sees clients in highly stressful situations and makes recommendations to the court based on those encounters.
Click here to view...
FEATURED BLOGS
Medical Marijuana and Custody
From: Family Law Professor Blog
The Associated Press reports on recent cases denying custody and/or visitation to a parent making use of medical marijuana: More than a decade after states began approving marijuana for medical use, its role in custody disputes remains a little-known side effect. While those laws can protect patients from criminal charges, they typically haven't prevented judges, court commissioners or guardians ad litem from considering a parent's marijuana use in custody matters—even in states such as Washington, where complying patients "shall not be penalized in any manner, or denied any right or privilege," according to the law.
Read more...
Social Networking Creeps Into the Courtroom
From: Hey Annette
Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) continues to impact family law, lawyers and judges. A couple of interesting examples are given here.
Read more...
New iPhone App Receives International Attention
From: Minnesota Divorce and Family Law Blog
Michelle O'Neil, a divorce attorney in Dallas, Texas, recently posted about an app she helped create for the iPhone: Divorce Cost & Preps. She writes: The app serves two purposes. First, a person contemplating divorce can assess the hidden and direct costs of divorce, such as the cost of providing two houses, two wardrobes for the children, or transportation costs for exchanging the children between houses. Second, the app gives divorce clients a list of information and documents to gather for their lawyer to assist preparation of their divorce.
Read more...
AFCC Member News
Dianna J. Gould-Saltman, AFCC member from Los Angeles, California, was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Gould-Saltman has been a partner at Gould-Saltman Law Offices since 1997 and was a sole practitioner at the firm from 1994 to 1997. Previously, she was an attorney for the Law Offices of Lorraine C. Gollub from 1986 until 1994. Gould-Saltman worked for Gollub & O’Connor as a law clerk, then associate attorney from 1984 until 1986. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine. She is presently on the Board of Directors of AFCC.
AFCC Chapter Updates
AFCC Chapters are producing exciting programs and doing important work at the local level.
Read more...
Upcoming AFCC Training
Advanced Issues in Child Custody: The Child's Perspective
Mindy F. Mitnick, Ed.M., M.A.
September 30–October 1, 2010
Kansas City, Missouri
More AFCC trainings...
Other Conferences and Trainings of Interest
The American Bar Association Family Law Section, the National Association of Counsel for Children and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals are offering fall conferences and trainings.
More information...
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