By Ali McNally, LAW WEEK COLORADO
DENVER – Colorado will adopt a new structure for its guardian ad litem program, based off of models used in at least four other states.
A guardian ad litem is an individual (often a lawyer) appointed to represent the best interests of a child or incapacitated person for the purpose of a legal procedure.
The Colorado Office of the Child’s Representative recently approved three proposals to establish multidisciplinary law offices in Denver and Arapahoe counties. The OCR traditionally works with approximately 250 independent contractors to act as guardian ad litem in child welfare cases.
The new system is touted as more efficient by the National Association of Counsel for Children and the American Bar Association, and is being used in California, Connecticut, Texas and Wyoming, said OCR executive director Linda Weinerman.
“There’s been a movement across the nation to go from that system of independent contractors to have a staff-model law office to represent kids’ best interests,” Weinerman said.
Those who won the proposals are Denver-based nonprofits Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center and Denver Children’s Alliance. The OCR also accepted a proposal from new law firm Bettenberg Sharshel and Valdez, which will provide GAL representation on both new dependency & neglect cases and new delinquency appointments in Arapahoe County. The contracts are good from January 2011 to July 2013.
“For us, we’re excited because we see it as an extension of this great practice,” said Children’s Law Center executive director Stephanie Villafuerte. She added that the contract allows the organization to add five more attorneys within the next two years.
The name partners of the new Arapahoe County law firm are Alison Bettenberg of Bettenberg & Associates, Ranee Sharshel of the MSM Law Office and solo practitioner Maria Valdez, all based out of Denver. Also at the new law firm Lakewood attorney Laura Dunbar, Dana Tartar of Englewood’s Tartar Law Firm, Denver solo practitioner Mark Dalessandro and Denver attorney Tracy Maguire.
Read more, including comments from 4th Judicial District Judge David Shakes, in the Sept. 27 edition of Law Week.
