Legal Needs of Children.

• Author: Pasch, Shahar
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The mission of Legal Needs of Children Committee (LNOCC) is to monitor and promote the implementation of recommendations of The Florida Bar Commission on the Legal Needs of Children June 2002 Final Report. The committee also studies developments in this specialized area of practice of the law and keeps members of the Bar informed of significant developments in this practice area through periodic updates. Members of the LNOCC have a breadth of knowledge and expertise that spans the substantive areas of juvenile law, from delinquency to dependency to mental health to education. LNOCC members also vary in their perspectives of representation, from private attorneys who volunteer as guardians ad litem to government attorneys in state attorney and public defender offices to legal services attorney. For this reason, LNOCC is often called upon to lend advice and perspective on various issues affecting the legal welfare of children. Our debates are robust and respectful and also provide members the opportunity to learn and share best practices from their communities. The committee meets regularly throughout the year to consider current issues and share new information related to this distinctive practice area.

For many years, the LNOCC has focused its efforts on the worthwhile issue of legal representation for children. During 2018-2019 term, the LNOCC decided to give attention related legal issues the members agreed were equally pressing, ripe to be addressed, and to which LNOCC members could lend their expertise and leadership. In an effort to make significant progress on these issues, the LNOCC decided to move from a subcommittee format to workgroups with distinct objectives.

The Solitary Confinement Workgroup was tasked with drafting a legislative position on solitary confinement to hopefully be adopted by The Florida Bar. The workgroup researched issues surrounding the solitary confinement of juveniles who are housed in both adult and juvenile centers. The workgroup examined the past CRC proposal, past legislative proposals, solitary confinement rules for the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Corrections, and legislative analysis. The workgroup drafted a position on solitary confinement and also amended the prior position on direct-file of children from juvenile to adult court. Both legislative positions were adopted by the Legal Needs of Children Committee at the last Bar meeting on Jan. 17, but were subsequently not...