Month: July 2021

The Court Services Bureau from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office will hold an informational meeting from 12:00pm to 1:00pm on August 4^th in the BOCC Public Hearing Room at the Ada County Courthouse. This meeting will also be held via zoom for those who wish to attend virtually.

Leaders from our Misdemeanor Probation, Pre Trial Release, Alternative Sentencing, Jail Education and Community Transition Center will provide several short presentations covering the overall idea behind these programs. Join us and learn why they are so successful and what additional resources will be available to those who partner with and participate in these programs.

In person attendance:

Ada County Courthouse,

200 W. Front St, Room # 1234

Boise Idaho 83702

Meeting ID: 984 9900 0950

Passcode: 715674

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        877 853 5257 US Toll-free

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THE NEED

The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program is witnessing a 21% increase in the number of new Child Protection cases in the 4th Judicial District of Idaho. A child protection case is initiated when a child is removed from their home due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. CASA relies on pro bono attorneys to navigate these cases, and WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The CASA Program trains and supervises community volunteers, known as Guardians ad Litem (GAL). GALs are appointed by our local courts to advocate for children’s best interests in the child protection court proceedings, and each GAL in Ada and Boise County must have a pro bono attorney. These attorneys are recruited and trained through the CASA program.     

THE SERVICE

There is an urgent need for volunteer attorneys now. There are 15 cases needing attorneys as of the date of this email, and certainly more cases to come.    

• GAL attorneys represent the GAL and provide approximately five hours (usually less) a month of legal counsel to the GAL who does the on-hands investigation of cases.    
• Any attorney can handle these cases (even if you don’t litigate as part of your practice).
• CASA Program staff and mentoring attorneys will provide you support and materials.
• You can easily and quickly get up to speed to represent GALs.

GET STARTED

To become a pro bono attorney for the CASA program, all you need to do now is email Darci Anderson for more information and to change the life of a child! darcip@familyadvocates.org

Training includes videos hosted by Judge Ellis, for which you also receive FREE CLE credit from the Idaho State Bar.

Mentors are available to assist new attorneys through the process and answer case-by-case questions.

Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program coordinates to ensure malpractice coverage (if needed) and reporting pro bono hours. 

Our GALs are currently serving 485+ children throughout the 4th Judicial District.  However, those volunteer GALs can only succeed when they have assistance from counsel like you.  By giving your time and expertise to the cause of child protection, you are helping to ensure that every child will have their best interests represented in court.

GAL Attorney Testimonials:

“I have been representing GALs for years and find this work the most satisfying pro bono service because it impacts the lives of children who, through no fault of their own, are in gut-wrenching circumstances. You will feel good about being a counselor-at-law when you volunteer.”

“At first, I was scared to volunteer – I thought I’d be too sad, and I wasn’t a litigator by practice. However, I felt very supported by the CASA team and was called to work, so I jumped in despite my hesitancies. I’ve been doing it for almost four years now, and it is SO REWARDING. There is a system to interrupt abuse and neglect and get these families the services they need to change the story for these kids. Attorneys are a critical part of this system, and I am grateful I have the skills and means to volunteer.”

The rate of interest on money due on judgments for fiscal year 2022 is 5.125%. Computation: Idaho Code 28-22-104. For the breakdown of the computation and the history of past rates, please visit the website of the Idaho State Treasurer’s Office at https://sto.idaho.gov/Banking/Legal-Rate-of-Interest .

This rate of interest will be in effect from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. The new rate will be announced by July 1^st of each succeeding year.

Julie A Ellsworth

Idaho State Treasurer

IdahoTreasurer@sto.idaho.gov

The system allows an attorney to log in to represent their client.

Training on the platform is available by clicking the above button and registering for a session. These are all the same session held on different dates and times – there is no need to attend it more than once.

A Q&A webinar for attorneys to ask questions and learn more about this project will be on Tuesday, July 13.  While the pilot is in Ada county, the invitation to attend is extended to any statewide members who would like to attend.

For any attorneys who might interact with the system in the meantime, please note that each attorney who logs in needs to use their own individual email address, not a general law office email. This pilot is only available for cases involving nonpayment of rent – if a client filing a complaint includes other elements, that case will not trigger an invite to the service.