The Role of Child's Counsel in State Intervention Proceedings: Toward a Rebuttable Presumption in Favor of Family Reunification

Should you advocate for John's return home? Lisa? Reid? Who decides the child client's position? What if adults involved in the case disagree as to the child's position? If you decide, how do you determine your client's position? What factors should you consider? How important is the client's expressed preference? What level of understanding of relevant legal proceedings might a six, eight, or fourteen-year-old child possess? How important are family ties? How important are material advantages or disadvantages? How important are ethnicity and culture? How important is socioeconomic status? Does the child have disabilities or unusual medical needs? Is the client's position ephemeral? Is the client's position conditioned on the occurrence or non-occurrence of certain future events?