Grant Dickinson's 10 Commandments for Cross Examination

On September 1, 2015, PDA board member Grant Dickinson presented at the Court Improvement Program Attorney Skills Training on the topic of Cross Examination.  Above are a copy of his slides that include helpful tips on how to prepare for cross examination of experts.

If the above slides don't load, try THIS LINK.

Registration is OPEN for the CIP Attorney Skills Training

The Court Improvement Program Steering Committee invites you to register for the 2015 CIP Attorney Skills Training. 

This is a complimentary 2-day training designed specifically for Utah's child welfare attorneys. We have an excellent program planned that includes national and local presenters who will address the following topics:

• Juvenile Court eFiling, including a live demonstration, online training resources, and one-on-one assistance at our eFiling lab
• Trauma-informed practice as it relates to children, parents, and YOU
• Ethics - Conflicts of Interest
• Direct and cross examination of expert witnesses
• How to identify the perpetrator
• Film screening of the documentary Tough Love http://www.toughlovefilm.com/

A final agenda will be distributed prior to the training. CLE approval pending. 

Date

The training begins Monday, August 31st at 10 am and ends on Tuesday, September 1st at 3 pm. 

Registration:

Registration closes August 7th, but register soon to ensure hotel room availability.

To register online, click here or paste this link into your URL bar: 

https://utahcip.wufoo.com/forms/2015-cip-attorney-skills-training-registration/

Lodging:

Zermatt Resort, 784 West Resort Dr., Midway, UT 84049

https://zermattresort.com/

Lodging is complimentary and available on the following nights:

Sunday, August 30th --  only for participants who must travel more than 50 miles from their home office. 

Monday, August 31st -- available for ANY PARTICIPANT regardless of distance they must travel.

**Please do not contact the hotel to reserve lodging. Instead, indicate on the registration form the nights you will need lodging and you will be included on a rooming list.

Travel

Mileage reimbursement will be provided. Complimentary parking is available on-site. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at gabriellaa@utcourts.gov or (801) 578-3939.

On behalf of the CIP Training Steering Committee, we look forward to seeing you in August!

Save the Date for the Court Improvement Training

We are looking forward to the Court Improvement Skills Training this year.  Mark your calendars!  More details to come.

Skills Training

Every other year the Court Improvement Program hosts a skills training for attorneys in the child welfare system.  (On the off years the CIP hosts a summit.)

In past years they have had NITA come and train on cross examining expert witnesses and other trial skills.

What are you interested in seeing offered this year?  Let us know and we will pass your suggestions along.

CIP Summit Wrap-up

Last Thursday and Friday, August 14-15, the Parental Defense Alliance attended the Court Improvement Summit at the Radisson in downtown Salt Lake.  In attendance were child welfare professionals from various disciplines from around the state, including AGs, GALs, DCFS workers, mediators and, of course, parental defenders.  Thanks to all those who were able to attend.  The theme of this year's summit was The Fabric of Family: Reexamining the Role of Family Connections in Child Welfare.  

It was an excellent conference that looked at ways that the child welfare system can be improved.  Many of the speakers presented information that can be helpful to parent's attorneys.  We will make an effort to highlight those in the next few blog posts.

Time to Register for the Court Improvement Summit

The time has come to register for the 2014 Court Improvement Summit.

The 2014 Summit is Thursday and Friday, August 14th and 15th at the Salt Lake City Radisson. The theme of this year's Summit is The Fabric of Family: Reexamining the Role of Family Connections in Child Welfare.  You can download the Agenda HERE.

This conference is a great opportunity to hear nationally renowned, as well as, local speakers on the topic of family connections in Child Welfare.  Invited to attend are DCFS workers, AGs, GALs, Parental Defenders, Judges and other stakeholders in Utah's Child Welfare System.

The Parental Defense Alliance has been allotted 50 spaces at the conference.  If you are interested in attending please email me at kate@parentaldefense.org and I will get you the registration link.  Preference will be given to those attorneys with county contracts including conflict contracts.  I will keep a list of private attorneys interested in attending until any public defenders have been given the chance to register.

Cost
FREE.  I believe CLE credit will be available.

Lodging
Lodging on Wednesday night is available to those who work at least 50 miles from the Radisson.  Lodging on Thursday night is available to ALL regardless of distance. We want you to stay.  Lodging is complimentary. You can indicate that you need lodging on the registration form. By doing so your name will be added to a rooming list. Please do no contact the hotel to reserve lodging.

Travel
Due to parking limitations, participants are encouraged to carpool. Mileage reimbursement will be provided to those who do not have access to employer vehicles.

Save the Date for the 2014 Court Improvement Summit