Re: ACTION ALERT: compensation boost for court-appointed parents' counsel
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Please send me the info Valerie. Thanks.?
Kate Duvall (she/her/hers)
President and CEO
?????????????????????????????????????????818 East High Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 Tel: ?434-971-7515 ??????
Advocating for abused and neglected children?in our community since 1995
This communication, including attachments, if any, is intended as a confidential, privileged communication. If received in error, you are requested not to read, copy, save, or reproduce in any manner or form, but to delete and notify sender. Thank you!? ?
On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 1:56 PM Valerie L'Herrou < valerie@...> wrote:
Article this week in the Virginia Cardinal:
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¡°It¡¯s all set up to make you fail¡±: The General Assembly hasn¡¯t changed what
court-appointed lawyers in child dependency cases are paid in 23 years. That translates to poor representation and support for parents, particularly in rural areas.
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¡°Child dependency cases, where parental custody is at risk because of allegations of abuse or neglect, are almost universally understood to
be long, frustrating and confrontational processes. At worst, professionals on the sidelines might see opportunities for family reunification that slip through the cracks.
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One large crack is the paltry legal support dedicated to parents who can¡¯t afford to hire a lawyer ¡ª the vast majority of them. Virginia guarantees
court-appointed counsel for those parents, but their lawyers are paid a maximum of $120 per case, an amount that the General Assembly hasn¡¯t changed since 2000.
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A compensation boost would translate to a new recommended maximum payout of $445 per case,
which is about on par with court-appointed compensation for certain felony criminal cases, or
$1,235 for termination of parental rights hearings.¡±
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If you are interested in advocating to improve the compensation AND create a commission that would provide for training, support, practice standards, and oversight for parents¡¯ counsel, please respond and I will provide you with the
advocacy information.
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Valerie L¡¯Herrou
NACC Virginia State Coordinator
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Valerie L¡¯Herrou
Staff Attorney ¨C Center for Family Advocacy
Virginia Poverty Law Center
919 East Main Street, Suite 610
Richmond, VA 23219
Direct/Mobile Line: (804) 351-5276
Fax: (804) 649-0974
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