"Children are in need--every lawyer can help: what you can do and how to do it".

• Author: McGrane, Miles
• Position: President's Page

I am always amazed by how quickly a year passes. By the time you read this, the New Year will have come and gone. New Year's resolutions will have been made, and in some cases already broken. With the beginning of this New Year, I can't help but think every new moment is an opportunity for each us to cause a pivotal change in someone's life.

Measured time is of no consequence to a child. An hour is a day, and a day can seem like a year. Reflect upon your own childhood; each memory is encapsulated in time, faraway and untouchable. Memories of learning to ride a bike, climbing trees, and searching for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The only thing you dreaded was your mother drawing a hot bath armed with a bar of soap.

Now imagine a life in foster care, without your parents or family to protect you, a ward of the state. Confusion, shock, and loneliness are your only companions. You don't know how to answer the questions asked by the social workers or judge. A child has no voice in the courtroom without legal representation; hence, every day home becomes more distant.

It is with great pride I tell you the Public Interest Law Section and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section have combined conscience, willpower, and resources to cosponsor a CLE seminar on children's issues. The seminar will take place at The Florida Bar's Mid-year Meeting, January 16, as part of the "For the Children" initiative.

The upcoming seminar is titled "Children are in Need--Every Lawyer Can Help: What You Can Do and How To Do It." Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will provide the keynote address, covering the topic of challenges in the social services delivery system.

The cost of the seminar is $165 for members of the two sponsoring sections, $180 for nonsection members, and $90 for full-time faculty members or law students. The fee is waived for any attorney who makes a commitment to represent at least one child in...