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I reported in a past
column on the resounding success of our Parent Wars
program, through which we distribute a booklet and
video designed to help parents in divorces and other
family law situations understand the impact of their
actions on their children. Marcia Barnes of the Family
Law Section got this project off the ground. Michelle
Cauley, Judge Cindy Thyer, and other past and present
members of the YLS Executive Council then ran with
it, working to distribute the materials to judges
and attorneys in their areas. If you have not seen
the booklet, titled "From Parent Wars to Co-Parenting,"
you may view it on the Association's website at http://www.arkbar.com/publications/publication_public.html.
The video is excellent. It features considerable discussion
from Ms. Barnes, Judge David Switzer, and several
others. It was shown in 2004 on the Arkansas Educational
Television Network. I've said it in this space before,
but it should be mentioned again that the Parent Wars
program received the highest award for a public service
project at the American Bar Association's annual meeting
in August of 2004. Michelle and David Sterling deserve
accolades for all of their work presenting and promoting
that program at national meetings, and President Vasser
has also mentioned it to regional and national groups.
In a switch from the norm, other bar associations
are now developing their own programs modeled on our
Parent Wars.
The only remaining work
to be done on Parent Wars is to distribute it further.
The administrative office of the courts has championed
this program, and many of the judges statewide are
utilizing it. Those mentioned above and other YLS
Executive Council members have worked on distribution.
Council member Bill Horton carries copies of the booklet
with him when he visits a new courthouse, and he attempts
to speak to the judge who handles domestic cases for
that district. He reports the response has been very
positive. I have urged other Executive Council members
to follow Bill's lead, but we need your help. We know
the program is being used extensively in Pulaski County,
Garland County, and Northwest Arkansas, but we need
information from other areas. Are the family law judges
in your area using the program? Please e-mail Michelle
Cauley at mcauley@mwsgw.com
with the answer. If they are not using it, Michelle
can, with the assistance of the Association's Associate
Executive Director Judith Gray, see about getting
you or an area young lawyer copies of the booklet
and video for distribution. Further distribution of
the Parent Wars materials really will make family
law litigation easier for all concerned.
I mentioned in a previous
column that we are going to revise the senior citizens
and caregivers handbooks, published in 1999. You may
view the current versions on the Association's website,
again at http://www.arkbar.com/publications/publication_public.html.
Again, Jay Scurlock of Barrett & Deacon in Jonesboro
is chairing the revision committee. We have received
a very good response for our call for volunteers.
Those volunteers are making revisions now, and we
are on track to complete the revisions by late in
this Bar year. However, we have not yet secured a
sponsor or sponsors for the publication of the revised
handbooks. The handbooks will include information
on wills, trusts, the probate process, benefit eligibility,
etc., so trust departments and insurance companies
are obvious choices for potential sponsors. While
we have a couple more companies we will approach,
Jay and I would certainly welcome suggestions on a
company you believe would be interested in a full
or partial sponsorship. If you have such a suggestion,
please e-mail Jay at jscurlock@barrettdeacon.com.
I devoted my last column
to our involvement with disaster relief efforts following
the hurricanes. As I explained in what some would
consider excruciating detail, there is an involved
process that must be set in motion and completed before
YLS members can provide legal assistance to disaster
victims. That process has not come to pass. While
your YLS has made repeated efforts to provide legal
assistance, we have repeatedly been told we were not
and are not needed. With that and the fact that the
victims are from other states, I do not believe we
will be asked to provide legal assistance to hurricane
victims. Thanks to all who contacted me to volunteer.
Our efforts to mobilize volunteers and provide assistance
have produced a positive development. President Vasser
initiated a discussion on how our association could
assist lawyers in preparing their offices for a disaster.
President Vasser noted many lower Mississippi and
Louisiana lawyers' offices were destroyed, but more
significantly they could not access their files and
information on their computers, or had all of that
information destroyed. The experience of attempting
to help those lawyers led President Vasser to initiate
this discussion. Presumably some larger firms already
have good disaster preparedness plans covering issues
such as computer backups, how to contact each other
in the event of an emergency, etc., and we may be
able to use those materials to assist firms of all
sizes. You may hear more on disaster preparedness
for lawyers at our June meeting.
Stay tuned for more
information on your YLS.•
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