Regent University law students
hail from all around the country seeking to change the world. The Center for
Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law takes that charisma and
channels it to four focus areas. Among those areas is the protection of children.
The Center recognizes that there is nothing more important than protecting
those who cannot protect themselves.
“Helping our students and local
attorneys to become a Guardian Ad Litem fits directly with our mission,” said
Ernie Walton, administrative director for the Center for Global Justice. “GALs
do incredibly important work. They ensure that a child’s best interests are
vigorously represented in cases in which children might otherwise be treated as
a means to an end, a mere piece of property to be fought over instead of cared
for.”
On Friday, March 20, 2015, Virginia Continuing Legal Education (Virginia CLE) and Regent University’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule
of Law partnered together to bring an amazing opportunity to those seeking to
become Guardians Ad Litem (GAL) in the state of Virginia. GALs in
Virginia are bar certified Virginia attorneys appointed by courts to represent
children or incompetent adults in a variety of court proceedings. Although
certification procedures for each category of guardians are different, one of
the major requirements for certifying as a GAL for children is to take the
seven credit “Representing Children as a Guardian ad Litem” CLE/Certification
course offered jointly by Virginia CLE and the Office of the Executive
Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Regent Law students and attorneys
alike attended the Representation of Children as a Guardian Ad Litem training
program. Among those in attendance were sixteen third-year law students, nine
outside attorneys, and four students observing for educational purposes.
The CLE program featured five
video lectures of qualified experts who outlined the court and filing
procedures, qualifications for becoming a certified GAL in the state of
Virginia, and the roles and responsibilities of a GAL. Attendees learned that a
GAL is just one part of the entire process from the filing of a case to the
closing of an appeal. In one lecture, the Honorable Thomas P. Sotelo, a former
certified GAL, advised participants on what the Court wants from their GALs:
diligence in their investigations and passionate representation for the child's
best interests.
After the program, one attendee
commented that this CLE program required her to have a moment of introspection.
She realized that being a GAL requires an attorney to go the extra mile and
have greater accountability to those they serve.
Third-year law students who plan
to take the Virginia bar exam this summer or in February 2016 will have two
years to complete the GAL certification process. Upon passing the bar, those
students will send in their attendance certification forms to the Virginia
Supreme Court and State Bar and be one step closer to changing the lives of
children in Virginia.
By Sarah Jane Norris,Graduate Assistant, Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and Rule of Law
Regent Law Class of 2016
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