The Children’s Commission is pleased to announce the availability of an in-person Trial Skills Training for less-experienced attorneys handling child welfare cases who want to improve their litigation skills. A fictional Texas CPS case and live witnesses are partnered with seasoned faculty to coach attendees through all stages of trial. For purposes of the training, “less-experienced” means that prior to applying to the Trial Skills Training, applicants who represent children and parents must have completed two to three contested Adversary Hearings and/or substantially participated in two to three final termination trials as first chair, and applicants who represent DFPS must have completed at least three contested Adversary Hearings and/or substantially participated in three to five final termination trials as first chair.
The three-day course will consist of a virtual “Pretrial” day on August 24, 2022 and two in-person “Trial” days on August 31, 2022 and September 1, 2022 in Central Texas. There is no fee to register, and additional information about the training is provided on the Children’s Commission’s website at the link below. The training is limited to 21 attorneys; participants are evenly divided into three practice groups comprised of seven children’s attorneys, seven attorneys who represent DFPS, and seven parents’ attorneys. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
Please forward this email to attorneys in your jurisdiction who may be interested in applying. The application deadline is midnight on Friday, May 13, 2022. The Children’s Commission will contact each applicant’s primary or appointing judge to confirm the applicant’s suitability for the training. Attorneys will be notified within a few weeks of the close of the application period about whether they have been accepted into the Fall 2022 Trial Skills Training.
