Thursday, January 04, 2007

I Need Some Help

Anybody have any advice on how to tell a kid that her mom doesn't want her anymore? Ever again? Because I need some help here.

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3 Comments:

Blogger John D. McLauchlan said...

For the sake of preserving my delusion of anonymity, I'll just say I have a 'friend' who has been representing juveniles for close to 20 years. I hear that he once had a client who was adopted and her adoptive parents (as they always made a point of clarifying for anyone who was listening) wanted to hand her back to the state. He put them under oath and made them say in front of the judge and the entire courtroom. Then the judge told them in front of the client what kind of scum they were. In other cases, he's found that being direct was the best approach. Frequently it's no surprise to the child. Every situation is different and how you handle it depends on the personality of your client. I, I mean 'he', generally hates the part of the job where the lawyer seems to be the bearer of news no one else has had the stomach to utter. At least we're not doctors having to break the news someone is dead or dying. Not much comfort and probably even less help, but there is my two cents worth.

In other news, one of our lawyers is leaving our office and heading to your corner of the universe.

1/05/2007 9:23 AM  
Blogger Charles Thomas said...

I've done it. Told him flat out- didn't pull punches. But then I'm heartless.

1/05/2007 11:19 AM  
Blogger John D. McLauchlan said...

Yeah, you're a brute. Kidding. I've even had kids relieved that they weren't going home again. Some parents just aren't up to the job. Our clients often have a lot more snap and resilience than we give them credit for.

1/05/2007 11:39 AM  

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