A joint statement has been issued by the major LGBTQ+ legal advocacy non-profits, reaffirming their advice for LGBTQ+ families after the election: get a court order regarding your child. Before the election and after, for 20+ years, actually, this has been our advice at The Law Center. Even post-marriage equality, we felt a birth certificate alone is not enough. Nearly all LGBTQ+ legal advocacy non-profits have agreed with us for years. Now, several non-profits have just put out a
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The Law Center, S.C. Blogs
Latest from The Law Center, S.C.
Protecting LGBTQ2+ Families In Wisconsin after the 2024 Election
The results of the 2024 election are shocking, disturbing, and deeply saddening. We grieve the hope we felt and the future we thought was on the horizon.
We are also heartbroken at the number of inquiries our firm has received since the election and the fear we hear in people’s questions. We will continue to do everything we can to protect our clients and their families, no matter what the law says and who has been elected. Our
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Parent-Teacher Conferences Are Happening: Know the Difference Between IEPs and 504s
Often, around the time of parent-teacher conferences at the end of the first quarter or trimester of the school year, many parents become aware that their child is struggling in school. Sometimes teachers or school staff identify areas where a student is lagging behind their classmates. Sometimes parents assisting their children with schoolwork note that their child is not understanding grade-level concepts. Sometimes students themselves share their frustration with parents: whether it be refusing to go to school, statements
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Termination of Parental Rights: Voluntary vs. Involuntary
What is a Termination of Parental Rights?
Before a child may be adopted, they must be “available for adoption.” Availability can be accomplished through termination of the birth parents’ parental rights. In many states, this takes the form of a court order.
What is the Difference Between Voluntary and Involuntary Terminations of Parental Rights?
A voluntary termination of parental rights is the result of an informed and willing consent by a birth parent to termination of their parental rights.
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Supporting Students with Disabilities – Starting the School Year Off Right
It’s the start of another school year. For families of students with disabilities some extra time working with school staff before the start of the school year or early in the year can lead to success throughout the year. Here is some information we hope helps for the new school year.
IDEA, IEPs, and FAPE – Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) provides that every student is entitled to a free
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We hire people, not positions.
Please check out our most recent job posting for two new attorneys. If you think you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. Studies have shown that women, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification in a job description. At The Law Center, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and healthy workplace. So, if you are excited about our job posting,
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Divorced Parents & Financial Aid
How should financial aid be handled when parents are divorced? Like every other issue, what is best for your child should come first.
Source:
https://www.investopedia.com/divorced-parents-financial-aid-5206693
The post Divorced Parents & Financial Aid appeared first on The Law Center, S.C..
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School Support During the Pandemic
Many parents are struggling to know how to support the educational needs of their children. Some schools are taking this opportunity to completely rethink how to offer services to students that are already stressed and anxious. Some of these suggestions could prove helpful to students with special needs, even beyond the current unusual circumstances. As schools begin to reopen for in school instruction or continue with virtual instruction, The Law Center’s school law attorneys are here to help guide
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Attorney Kristi Baker and Sara Vanden Brook have been Selected as Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2020 – What Does the Selection Process Entail?
The Law Center, S.C., attorneys Kristi Baker and Sara Vanden Brook have been placed on Super Lawyer’s 2020 Rising Stars list, as top attorneys in the state for the practice of family law. Only 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state land on the final published Rising Stars list. The list includes attorneys that are 40 years old or younger or have been practicing law for 10 years or less. This is Sara’s third time on the Rising Stars
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New Cambridge Analysis Concludes Children Conceived Using Assisted Reproduction are Just as Likely to Thrive as Other Children…and Sometimes More So
Families come in many different forms. In particular, advances in medical technology are expanding the concept of the family now more than ever. Unfortunately, the social acceptance of some families has lagged behind the technology. But what is the impact, if any, on children born via assisted reproductive technology (ART)? A recent article in Reproductive Biomedicine Online by Susan Golombok of the University of Cambridge in England looks at 40 years of research, including her own longitudinal studies, and
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Wellness for Attorneys (and Others!)
Emily Dudak Leiter of The Law Center, S.C., attorney and yoga teacher, spoke today about “Wellness for Attorneys” at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s virtual conference, “Trending Topics in Juvenile Justice Reform 2020.” Emily shared her techniques for staying happy and healthy while practicing children’s law. The techniques she discussed included mindfulness, meditation, Yoga, breathwork, sleep, living with gratitude and compassion, guarding your energy and time, exercise, not multi-tasking, alignment and stretching while at the computer, music and essential
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Our School Law Attorneys Seek to Empower Parents for the Fall
Last Sunday evening, August 9, 2020, our school law attorneys held a free, back-to-school Zoom webinar. Attorneys Kristi Baker and Anne Daugherty-Leiter sought to empower parents and talked about how to help your child receive a free, appropriate public education during these challenging times, with a focus on special education needs.
No student can afford a wasted semester, least of all a student with an IEP. Anne and Kristi emphasized how parental advocacy is key to making sure that
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Bostock: A Gamechanger for LGBTQ People in the Workplace, and Maybe More
By Attorney Anne Daugherty-Leiter
“The answer is clear,” said the U.S. Supreme Court in Bostock v Clayton County, Georgia: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against LGBTQ employees and applicants. Now, LGBTQ people working for employers with at least 15 employees may bring sex discrimination employment claims under federal law in every state. This is because the Supreme Court has finally recognized that firing someone for being LGBTQ is firing that person for an
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Don’t Forget Your Adoption Tax Credit
The year 2020 has been nothing short of chaotic.
Due to the upheaval caused by the coronavirus, the IRS has postponed the traditional April 15 tax filing deadline to July 15. As you put the finishing touches on your tax documents, it is important to remember the adoption tax credit. Adoption is costly and every cent counts as you bear the financial costs of the adoption process.
How Much Is The Credit Worth?
The adoption tax credit can
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Attorney Anne Daugherty-Leiter Joins The Law Center Team!
The Law Center, S.C., is excited to announce that it has added a new associate attorney to the firm, Anne Daugherty-Leiter (there is no relation to the firm’s partner, Emily Dudak Leiter; it is just an interesting coincidence). Anne has substantial experience in employment law, as an attorney and as a human resources director. Prior to joining The Law Center, she acted as a private consultant to a Madison-based health care IT consulting firm regarding issues of workplace management,
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Online And Distance Learning For Children With Special Needs
Online And Distance Learning For Children With Special Needs
4/1/2020
This unprecedented time of school closures and quarantines is challenging under the best of circumstances, but for families of students with disabilities it is especially concerning. While many school districts have moved to online or distance learning models, students with disabilities may not be receiving the necessary services required to provide them with a free and appropriate public education. Additionally, parents may not be equipped to
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