Tip of the Day

I am working on a complex appeal.  I found that the type used by most court reporters can be easily converted in OCR format which makes it easy to search and find  whatever key items you need for an appeal.

GAL Training Videos

Updated GAL Training Videos now available ONLINE!
Click here to view the videos
The Child Advocacy Committee of The Mississippi Bar’s Young Lawyers Division, The University of Mississippi Judicial College, The University of Mississippi School of Law and Mississippi College School of Law have produced a series of on-demand videos for purposes of certifying guardians ad litem (GALs) to increase the number of available certified GALs and provide an affordable means for certification for solo practitioners and attorneys. The videos have been approved for six (6) hours of CLE credit, including one hour of ethics. Attorneys who view the GAL videos may utilize the training for both certification and CLE purposes. The attorney will then be placed on a list of lawyers willing to serve pro bono on one case. For those attorneys who watched the previous version of the videos, you can receive certification and CLE credit for viewing the newly updated videos. Click here for more information.
 

GAL Fees

On October 3, 2019 the Mississippi Supreme Court decided Garner vs. Fox located here.  The case clarified how the Court is to apportion the payment of guardian ad litem fees when abuse and/or neglect allegations are raised.  The case also found that a step-grandparent is not entitled to visitation under the Mississippi grandparent visitation statute.

Third Party Custody Case

On August 29, 2019 the Mississippi Supreme Court decided McDonald vs. Ballard located here.    This case redefined what a third party has to do to be on the same level as a natural parent for custody analysis.  From the opinion it appears that if a natural parent is not in the picture and someone has been acting in loco parentis, they may be on the same level as a parent.