For Attorneys

To All Members of the Delaware Bar:

Please consider signing up for the Office of the Child Advocate's Nuts and Bolts child attorney training so that you can join your colleagues in representing Delaware's abused, neglected and dependent children. Since OCA opened its doors in 2000, volunteer attorneys have enabled OCA to provide legal representation to over 6,000 children. At any given time, over 250 children statewide are being represented by volunteer lawyers through OCA.

Thanks to the unbelievable support of the Bar, OCA has approximately 250 volunteer attorneys who have committed their time and energy to Delaware's abused, neglected and dependent children. Our volunteers come from every segment of the Bar: partners in major law firms, solo practitioners, stay-at-home parents, in-house corporate counsel, retirees and new Bar members. Countless attorneys who have never litigated before have stepped forward to help a child in need and done an impressive job. Please review the OCA pro bono honor roll to see which of your colleagues have volunteered to represent a child.

Despite the outpouring of support from Delaware attorneys, there still remain children statewide in the foster care system that need representation. Please feel free to visit our website for more information, including a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section that will answer most questions you have regarding the program.

If you are interested in representing a child, please choose a training date and register online at our For Attorneys training page. This initial training provides 2.0 CLE credits, including .5 of Enhanced Ethics.

OCA volunteers are indemnified from liability pursuant to 29 Del. C. § 9008A. The Supreme Court Rules also permit retired (Rule 69(f)) and inactive (Rule 69(d)) attorneys to volunteer, as well as in-house corporate counsel who have been admitted to the limited practice of law in Delaware pursuant to Rule 55.1. Finally, the Rules for Continuing Legal Education allow one hour of CLE credit for every six hours that you help a child (excluding travel time), up to a maximum of 6 CLE credits per reporting period. See Rule 8(D).

I hope we can count on you to volunteer. These children need you, and your contribution to their lives will last a lifetime. If you have any non-attorney colleagues who are also interested in advocating for children, please encourage them to call us at (302)255-1730 and ask for information about the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program.

Very truly yours,

TANIA M. CULLEY
Child Advocate

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, what sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a CHILD."