I. Call to Order -10:15 a.m.

II. Welcome and Introductions

1. Attendance: Doug Abrams, Terry Wiese, Cathy Dean, Kathleen Nuzzo, Chuck Bennett, Dudley Dunlop and Liz Magee.
2. Kathleen Nuzzo from Missouri CASA was introduced.
3. Cathy Dean, Board Liaison. was introduced.

III. GAL Training Feedback

1. Please see attached report from Roya Hough and letter from Judge Donald Barnes.
2. Overall, there was positive feedback from the GAL training.
3. There will be video replays in St. Louis and Kansas City.
4. There was some discussion about the training focusing more on domestic relations type cases as opposed to abuse/neglect - juvenile division type cases. (This influence coming from the Family Law Section).

IV. Update from Pleadings Subcommittee

1. Pleadings are ready for distribution.
2. I will contact the Missouri Bar CLE Office to let them know what we have available and to determine if they can be included in the "forms" section of the Juvenile Law CLE.

V. Offices of GAL

1. Kathy Rogers, GAL in Jackson County, had provided the following information prior to the meeting:
   1. The driving force behind establishing the Office of GAL was the desire for consistency in the handling of cases by Guardian ad Litems.
   2. The staff consists of 1 secretary, 1 file clerk, 4 legal assistants and 5 attorneys.
   3. The Office took over 1300 cases from Legal Aid and 400 cases from CASA.
   4. Each attorney will spend 3 to 4 half days per week in Court and will have a caseload of 400.

2. Chuck Bennett. from Rolla, indicated that he serves as the GAL for all cases in the 4 county circuit [25th Circuit].

3. Adair County has received a grant from the Office of States Court Administrator to open an Office of GAL.

4. St. Louis County continues to appoint the attorneys who serve on a rotation basis.

VI. Law Review Article

1. Please see attached letter from Cristian Stevens, Editor of The Missouri Law Review.
2. If anyone is interested in writing an article or co-authoring an article, please let Liz Magee (573-886-4200) know as soon as possible!

VII. Missouri CASA

1. Kathleen Nuzzo spoke about CASA's concerns regarding the length of time for finalizing adoptions.
2. Anyone with suggestions, please contact Kathleen at Missouri CASA in St. Louis.

VIII. CLEs for Attorneys Representing, the Juvenile Officer

1. Maureen Monaghan suggested that we compile a list of attorneys who represent Juvenile Officers and then coordinate CLE's specific to that role.
2. All agreed that this would be helpful. A list was started. Anyone in the role of representing Juvenile Officers is encouraged to contact Liz Magee (573-886-4200). Also, anyone with ideas for a CLE program should contact Liz Magee.

IX. Non-Agenda Items

1. National Association of Counsel for Children - There was some interest expressed in starting up an affiliate chapter in Missouri. Since the committee meeting - I have contacted the association. Please see the attached portion of the materials sent to me. The association is gathering more information to send. Please let Liz Magee know if you are interested in this project.

2. Web Site - Chuck Bennett expressed interest in establishing a web site as a subdirectory of the Missouri Bar's web site. We will contact the Missouri Bar regarding the possibilities. (Please see Chuck's handout.)

X. Meeting Adjourned - 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Liz Magee, Chair

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