Message from the Editor

• Publication year: 2018
• Author: Dawn Gray

Message from the Editor

Dawn Gray

This issue marks a changing of the guard at the Family Law News. It has been my pleasure and privilege to be the Editor for the past three years, working with authors and readers to bring you articles at the forefront of the development of family law. Beginning with the next issue, Nathan Gabbard will be taking over as Editor, carrying on the tradition of excellence that this publication has long enjoyed. I congratulate Nathan on his selection as a FLEXCOM member, and I have full confidence that under his watch, Family Law News will continue to provide timely, thoughtful and useful articles on topics that impact the practice.

This issue is no exception. It includes discussions of custody evaluation reports post-Sanchez, the foundations of testimonial evidence, touring a justice facility, post-adoption contact agreements, secret recordings, and apps to use with coworkers.

In their article, Leslie Ellen Shear and Julia C. Shear Kushner take a deep-dive into the long history of child custody evaluations and similar investigative reports as evidence in family law proceedings, including a suggestion that Malinda S. (and not Sanchez) governs.

Several articles in this issue deal with the Domestic Violence Prevention Act. Roz Bateman Smith takes a walking tour through the Sonoma County Family Justice Center and describes the services available there for individuals who experience abuse. In the age of...