Calendar 2025​​​​
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
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Annual John C. Stevens Family Law Symposium: Benched
Thursday, May 1, 5-7, Nicholson Hall, 7 Harris Street, Newburyport
Faculty
Hon. Michael Anderson
Hon. Theresa Bisenius
Hon. Mary Black
Hon. Caryn R. Mitchell-Munevar
Hon. Carla A. Salvucci
Hon. Jennifer Rivera Ulwick
Hon. Michelle A. Yee
Moderators: Judith Cowan & Gary Todd
Issues for discussion:
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Uniform Parentage Act—How are the courts implementing
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GALs—Use & effectiveness—When to seek; When E/ F: Limited GALs; What judges want to see in reports; Use of GAL in removal case; School choice; Does the Court want recommendations?
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Parenting Coordinators—When are they warranted; What are their limitations; What happens when they are appointed over the objection of one party?
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The Role of ARC Counsel—How to present evidence to make sure voice of the child is heard; How to include in all correspondence; How to handle inherent conflicts between what child wants and what ARC counsel thinks is best
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Legal Custody—When can you get sole legal custody; When can you get joint legal custody; When under joint custody should one party have ultimate decision making
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Who pays for college
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What are the new judges views/pet peeves
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https://gnba.ticketbud.com/annual-john-c-stevens-family-law-symposium-benched-15a056ac27ed
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The Intersection of Family Law, Child Welfare and Criminal Law
Thursday, June 5, 2025, 4:30-6:30, Zoom
Approved for Two CAFL & CPCS credits
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Many of our cases walk in the door presenting like an essay question on the bar
exam, spanning disciplines ranging from family law to criminal law to child welfare
and juvenile law. Our expert practitioners will give you an overview of each area and
answer common questions many of us have, and we’ll take an interactive walk
through a hypothetical case involving all of these areas.
Attend & Learn:
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Who qualifies for legal counsel in CAFL cases, criminal defense cases, and other times a person might be eligible for appointment of counsel by CPCS;
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At what point in the various legal processes can counsel be appointed.
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How to manage the collaboration between a client's divorce, criminal defense and/or CAFL counsel in terms of aligning case strategy, sharing potentially relevant information/discovery/pleadings.
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What types of information/documents from separate cases might be relevant to each other (example: mitigation documents / evaluations in criminal cases)
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What rights do incarcerated clients have who are going through a divorce; to participate in custody / parenting time proceedings and what rights do they have to both? Are there priorities we have that might conflict even while representing the same client in different legal settings/proceedings
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How does a restraining order affect a case; what court(s) can issue them and what court(s) can modify them?
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The affect of a divorce case… who says what to whom, and how – it matters!
Faculty
Maureen Booth, TurcoLegal, Newburyport, Chair
Jacquelyn O’Brien, Managing Director, Children and Family Law Division, Committee for Public Counsel Services
Christine Sunnerberg, Esq., Ramirez & Sunnerberg, LLC, Weymouth
To register: https://gnba.ticketbud.com/the-intersection-of-family-law-child-welfare-criminal-law