Resource Letter:

For Judges and Attorneys Handling Child Welfare Cases

April 2, 2026

Trial Skills Training Opportunity:

Fall 2026 Contested Hearing Practices Course

The Children's Commission is pleased to announce that the application for the Fall 2026 Trial Skills Training (TST) Contested Hearing Practices Course is now open.


The TST Contested Hearing Practices Course is an interactive and realistic training designed to improve the litigation skills of attorneys practicing child welfare law across the State. Attendees will participate in multiple plenary and breakout sessions, including lectures, demonstrations, strategy sessions, and simulated contested hearings based on a fictional child welfare fact pattern with a mock case file.


The course consists of two half-days of virtual instruction on the afternoons of September 9 and 16, 2026, and two-and-a-half days of in-person instruction on September 21-23, 2026, in San Marcos, Texas. Selected attorneys are required to attend and participate in all sessions scheduled during the training. 


Participants will earn approximately 24 live MCLE hours (including ethics hours), up to 6 hours of MCLE in preparation for the training, and an opportunity for an additional hour of self-study MCLE, all of which are offered at no cost to the participants.


Space for the 2026 TST Contested Hearing Practices Course is limited to 27 attorneys.

To be considered, attorneys must apply by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2026.


For more information about the course, application criteria, and reimbursement for travel-related costs, please visit the Trial Skills Training webpage.

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For a complete list of Resource Letters, please visit the Children's Commission webpage. Information provided by the Children’s Commission should not be read as a commentary by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. The Children’s Commission website is not equipped to facilitate dialogue or conversation about matters related to the information in this communique. For more information about the Children’s Commission, please visit our website.

 

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