Sunday, June 12, 2016

SUMMER COURSE ON FAMILY MEDIATION




Family Mediation Clinic

What I've been up to the last few weeks:

This course involves family dynamics, childhood development, marital property, suits affecting the parent child relationship, mediation styles, domestic violence, shared parenting, communication skills, collaborative law, and related topics. Law 78818-601 Syllabus.

We have just finished the classroom part of this course, with additional clinical work and a paper remaining. This has been one of the most fascinating courses I've taken so far at Texas A & M School of Law. I've had opportunity to meet some really fantastic people practicing family law in Tarrant County -- Sheriff's Deputies, Bailiffs, Court Coordinators and Clerks, Juvenile Probation and Court Personnel, Domestic Relations Office Counselors, Attorneys, Assistant District Attorneys, Attorney and Guardian ad Litums, Mediators, Child Protective Services personnel, CASA workers, and even three Judges. We've also been in seminars with professionals from Denton, Dallas, and McLennan Counties.


Some of the information was troubling, and some actually disheartening. Balancing that, everyone we met said that this field was a calling, and that the children involved are the center of all they do. Family Law can be highly complex, stressful, and not necessarily remunerative financially. The people that I met were uniformly dedicated to protecting both children and especially victims of domestic violence.

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