Juvenile Law

The relationship between parents and children is constitutionally protected and considered sacred by most.  However, sometimes, parents are unable to care for their children at a given time for a myriad of reasons, and the State steps in.  In those cases, dependency petitions are usually filed or guardianships established to protect the minor children while the parents work to regain the ability to parent their children. 

Dependency actions are custody actions because the state generally takes legal custody of the children in questions and prescribes certain steps to be taken in order for the children to be successfully reunited with the parents.  Having one's family disrupted is very unsettling.  When representing parents, Diana works to normalize the situation to the greatest extent possible.  This can involve having the children returned to the parents with safety monitors/plans in place or having the children placed with relatives or friends.  

Removal of a child is a very traumatic event for all the family members, and the key is determine what needs to happen to get the children home as quickly as possible so that the parent-child bond will remain intact.  

Lawyers need special expertise to practice in juvenile court because the overriding factor the courts consider is what is the children’s best interests.  As a Certified Child Welfare specialist, Diana takes a very direct approach once she determines the specifics of the case, whether she is representing the child, a parent or grandparent.

Important legal rights can be lost forever in a dependency action, if you do not take action to protect your family. 

Learn about the rights of minors at: http://www.childrensrights.org/.

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