President Joe Bell and President-elect Leslie Ellen Shear at Friday night reception, ACFLS Spring Seminar in Palm Springs, April 2009

Latest News: 

2009 ACFLS Spring Seminar in Palm Springs Another Success!

This year's program was received enthusiastically by the sold-out crowd of participants.  Read what one member had to say immediately after the closing judges' panel:

I have attended many seminars since I was admitted in 1978, but never one of this quality.  The organization was impeccable and the presenters were excellent.

To read her remarks in full, go to the ACFLS Family Law Blog, where photos of the event will be uploaded soon.

Failure to Fully Fund Family Courts Creates Public Health Crisis for California's Children

Diane Wasznicky thanks ACFLS for adopting AFCC public health crisis resolution (partial text below):

RESOLUTION

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Board of the California Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts declares that there is a clear and present danger to the public health of the children of this State based on our society’s failure to adequately address the impact of child custody proceedings upon children as a chronic, system-wide, statewide, public health crisis which impacts the previous, current and future generations of California’s most precious resource--its children.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Board of the California Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts calls upon the Governor, the State Legislature and the Judicial Branch to devote adequate resources to meet the needs of the children who are impacted by this public health crisis.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Board of the California Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts calls upon all the stakeholders in the family court system, including but not limited to all relevant sectors of the Judicial Council of California, the State Bar of California, particularly its Family Law & Juvenile Law Sections, the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers to join the California Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts in identifying this public health crisis and demanding that adequate, immediate and sustained resources be funded to address these concerns by all aspects of the public and private sectors whose stewardship of trust includes the welfare of the children of California.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Board of the California Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts will review legislation, and funding/resource issues that could impact children in family law courts, taking into account this clear and present danger to the children of California.  And for this constituency which has no voice, we resolutely rally for change.

(A printable .pdf containing the full resolution can be found here.)

20th Annual Council of Community Property States Symposium held in Albuquerque, March 26-28, 2009

See the lastest issue of the Newsletter for a report from our delegation to this event.

ACFLS's Amici Curiae brief in California Supreme Court Proposition 8 Cases

ACFLS, joined by the Northern California Chapter of the AAML, has filing an amici curiae brief in the pending Proposition 8 cases. In the brief, ACFLS and N.Cal. AAML argued : 1. Amendments to the California Constitution adopted by initiative are subject to substantive judicial review; 2. When an amendment to article I (Declaration of Rights) of the California Constitution conflicts with established article I inalienable rights, the amendment must be justified by a compelling state interest; 3. Proposition 8 may not be retroactively applied to void the 18,000 plus valid marriages between same-sex couples. ACFLS did not weigh in on the issue of whether the initiative made such a significant qualitative change to the California Constitution that it constitutes a revision rather than an amendment (revisions are more difficult to enact).

For more information on the Proposition 8 cases (including all filings and orders in pdf form), visit the Supreme Court's Proposition 8 Cases website.  Oral argument is scheduled for March 5, 2009l

ACFLS President-Elect Leslie Ellen Shear authored the brief, with assistance from Garrett C. Dailey, Katherine Stoner, Shane Ford, ACFLS President Joseph Bell, Dawn Gray, Mary-Lynne Fisher, Diana Richmond, Camille Hemmer and other ACFLS members. Dawn Gray chairs the ACFLS amicus committee.

ACFLS Board of Directors 2009 Meeting Schedule:

January 31, 2009:  Sacramento

April 17, 2009:  Palm Springs

June 6, 2009:  Los Angeles

September 13, 2009:  San Diego

December 5, 2009:  San Francisco

ACFLS DVD library expanded!

See all available titles here, and earn your continuing education hours in the comfort of your own home or office.

Just print out the order form and fax or mail your order today.

New titles include Sacramento presentations on Domestic Violence and Tassi Tracing.  Among our most popular titles is the January 2008 presentation on Marriage of Feldman:  Get all three hours of this ground-breaking program, A Systematic Method of Enforcing Fiduciary Duties: Analysis and Discussion of Marriage of Feldman, including printed materials, for only $175 (including tax and two-day priority shipping). 

You can also order this thee-hour program via 123Signup; we have entered the item as an "event" (arbitrarily dated 3/15/09) to facilitate ordering for our members and others.  Other programs that are accessible through our Online Lecture Series are also available as DVDs that can be purchased by downloading and faxing an order form to Lynn, our executive director.

For information about custody, support and other legal issues, or about mediation, collaborative law and other legal alternatives, select For the Public.

To learn more about ACFLS or the certified legal specialty of Family Law, select For Attorneys.

To join ACFLS as a new member Click Here.

To renew my membership in ACFLS Click Here.

* Certified Specialist in Family Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization