7150 E. Montview Boulevard, #1 Foote Hall Denver, CO 80220 Phone: (303)871-6410 Fax: (303)871-6388
A non-profit law firm advocating for the well-being of maltreated children
Programs & Activities Offered by the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center
In-House Legal Representation of Children
Staff attorneys at the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center serve as guardians ad litem for several hundred abused and neglected children across Colorado. To ensure high quality legal advocacy and individual attention for each child, our specialized attorneys take only a limited number of clients. Unfortunately, we can only respond to the most urgent cases and handle just a fraction of the crisis calls made to the Law Center -- less than 10% of those who ask for our help.
Pro Bono Lawyer Program
Each year, we recruit and train hundreds of attorneys to provide pro bono representation for children who enter the child protection system or are exposed to domestic violence. Honored by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in 1998 as "one of the most effective and innovative programs for children in the nation," the Pro Bono Program provides ongoing technical support to its volunteer attorneys and a reference manual, Advocating Excellence, Offering Hope for the Innocent.
We also provide an intensive child advocacy skills training conference in June of each year, which is co-sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the National Association of Counsel for Children and the Denver University College of Law. The next session of this nationally recognized program, offered to attorneys and child advocates across the country, is scheduled for June 3-8, 2000 at [where?]
Attorneys interested in pro bono child advocacy can contact Phyllis Roestenberg, our Pro Bono Coordinator, at the number listed on our homepage. [details on how to sign up for a probono training or the June course/cost of training manual/the schedules for June course and regular trainings/CLE credits/cerification given?]
Foster Parent Legal Training
With help from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center developed a state-of-the-art training program for foster parents. Through twelve regional training sessions held annually, staff attorneys educate hundreds of foster parents across Colorado about children's legal rights [and other issues facing foster children?] A training manual, [title?] provides a detailed but straightforward legal discussion on how foster parents can intervene in the courts to uphold children's rights, when they are not getting the services to which they are entitled. The manual is available for $30.00 and can be ordered by calling or writing to us at the address listed on the home page. The foster parent training program is run by staff attorney Eileen Bisgard. For a complete list of foster parent trainings click here.
Judicial and Legal Reform of the Child Protection System
The Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center participates in several national, state, and local taskforces and groups that seek to improve our child protection system, including: the American Bar Association's Task Force on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children; the Colorado Governor's Task Force on the Welfare of Children; [List a few others, including a local one]. Over the years, we have drafted more than a dozen legislative reforms to the Colorado Children's Code, XXX of which have been enacted.
[Add a paragraph here about the 4-year kickoff for Juvenile Court 2004 Anniversary??]
This highly successful new project, begun in 1998, teaches about 25 abused and neglected young children to cultivate flowers and vegetables in their own community garden, starting each spring. The informal therapeutic benefits of gardening are combined with traditional group therapy to help address children's feelings of abandonment and anger that stem from the maltreatment, parental substance abuse, and domestic violence they endured. As important, children can share with each other what it is like to be involved in the child welfare system, and discover the pride of gardening with peers who have experienced many of the same things they have. Our Clinical Advisor, Holly Barnes, runs the project in conjunction with adult volunteers.
Denver University Law School Child Advocacy Clinic
Law Center staff teach a unique year-long course to third year law students at the Denver University Law School who are interested in a career in child advocacy. Each year, a select number of student attorneys learn the details of Colorado child protection law, are taught the nuances of effective legal advocacy, and gain courtroom experience by representing actual child clients before the judiciary, under faculty supervison. The Clinic is team-taught by Shari Shink and Seth Grob, who have over 30 years of combined experience in children's legal advocacy. An expert multi-disciplinary team that includes a pediatrician, psychiatrist, psychologist, and a social worker also meets regularly with students to discuss their more complex cases and expand the depth of understanding about their clients' needs.
