CPCS Mental Health Litigation Division Attorney Meeting & Training
2024-09-13 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | MA
Training: What’s Helpful and What Works
2 MH Trial & Appeals CLE for Worcester County attorneys
1 MH Trials & Appeals CLE for other attorneys
Date & Time: Friday, September 13, 2024
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (for Worcester county attorneys)
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (non-Worcester county attorneys)
Location: Zoom, Meeting ID: 816 0934 1218, Passcode: [REDACTED]
Advanced registration NOT REQUIRED

To register email: lembolaw@outlook.com
Required after registering, complete the below and email to lembolaw@outlook.com:

A helpful quotation from a case, with citation, that you have used or would use in a commitment or guardianship case
Contact information for: a facility, the record department; petitioner’s attorney; court (including days of the week hearings held), include email contacts

Upon completion of this seminar, you will be able to:

Develop winning strategies
Identify specific case law to use at trial

(synopsis of this information shared with attendees)

Consider expanding your practice by knowing contact information for hospitals, courts, opposing counsel in various cases

(information shared with attendees)

For questions, call or call Anna Lembo, Esq., (781) 894-0022, lembolaw@outlook.com

CPCS Walking Challenge
2024-09-16 - 2024-10-11, 2024-09-16 | MA
CPCS Walking Challenge! A friendly competition supported by CPCS Wellness Ambassadors for all staff and private counsel using theStepUp App to keep track of steps and get active!

CAFL Trial Panel Certification Training Fall 2024
2024-09-16 09:30 - 17:00, 2024-09-19 13:00 - 16:30, 2024-09-23 09:30 - 17:00, 2024-09-26 13:00 - 16:30, 2024-09-30 09:30 - 17:00, 2024-10-07 09:30 - 17:00, 2024-10-16 09:00 - 17:00 | MA
JOIN THE FIGHT!
GROW YOUR LEGAL PRACTICE AND HELP CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN NEED! APPLY FOR OUR CAFL TRAINING AND BECOME CERTIFIED TO HELP THESE FAMILIES!
We need zealous, effective attorneys who want to protect the rights of parents and children in Care and Protection and Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) cases.
ATTORNEYS ACCEPTED INTO THIS TRAINING WILL RECEIVE A “CERTIFICATION PAYMENT” OF $5032 upon the following: 1) successful completion of the CAFL Trial Panel Certification Training; and 2) within eighteen months of completing the training the attorney (a) receives appointments on 12 care and protection cases, and (b) submits 500 hours of billing on care and protection cases.
READ BELOW AND APPLY BY AUGUST 4

We are looking to increase the number of attorneys handling state intervention cases (typically referred to as “care and protection” or “termination of parental rights” cases) in the Massachusetts Juvenile Court.
Fall 2024 Application Form: Fall 2024 Children and Family Law (CAFL) Trial Panel Certification Training (cognitoforms.com)

Interested attorneys can find more information and apply by using the QR code above or by clicking CAFL TRAINING. Preference will be given to applications received by August 4, 2024. Joining this panel ensures due process and effective representation for parents and children. Thank you for your interest in this essential litigation practice.
IMPORTANT DETAILS FOR INTERESTED ATTORNEYS:

CERTIFICATION TRAINING: The training will include a brief orientation on Zoom on September 4, followed by hybrid training sessions from September 9 through October 18, 2024. Sessions consist of in-person and live Zoom sessions, as well as self-directed learning. Successful completion enables certification for care and protection and child requiring assistance (CRA) cases.
ASSIGNMENT: Attorneys will be assigned to cases, which often start with an ex parte petition filed by the Department of Children and Families. Immediate responsibilities include preparing for potential emergency custody hearings within 72 hours of an ex parte order. These cases can last 15 months or longer.
COMPENSATION: Private attorneys will be paid $85/hour for Care and Protection/Termination of Parental Rights cases and $65/hour for CRA matters.
PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS: Attorneys must adhere to CAFL’s performance standards and meet other requirements outlined in CPCS’s Assigned Counsel Manual.
SUPPORT: New panel members will be assigned a mentor who provides support, introduces them to court personnel, helps them learn local practices, attends initial court hearings, and offers assistance.

MHLD Civil Commitment Certification: On Zoom
2024-09-17 09:30 - 12:30, 2024-09-20 09:30 - 12:30 | MA

NLT/Zealous Advocacy in the District Courts
2024-09-17 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-09-19 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-09-24 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-09-26 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-10-01 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-10-09 09:30 - 16:30 | MA
Certification Training for Bar Advocates
By Application Only
CPCS Bar Advocate Training Application updated 9.2023
The Zealous Advocacy Training Program involves two in-person training days per week (9:30 am to 4:30 pm) for a total of 8 in-person training days over 4-5 weeks.
In addition to the in-person sessions, each week you will complete work using our online learning platform, to prepare for the upcoming weeks’ live session skills exercises. The self-directed learning on Talent LMS will include watching recorded lectures and other videos, reading articles and cases, and completing written assignments. Some of this work must be completed before the training begins; the rest must be done between the live sessions. You should expect 8-10 hours of this self-directed work per week, in addition to the live sessions. The live sessions include discussions and small group skills exercises that you prepare for in advance. The prep time for the skills based exercises is 2-3 hours per week.

MHLD Civil Commitment Certification
2024-09-20 09:30 - 12:30, 2024-09-24 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-27 10:00 - 16:00 | MA

Social Law Library: 2024 Evidence Series - Learn What the Judges Learn
2024-09-24 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-10-01 16:00 - 18:00 | MA
This program is hosted by Social Law Library. Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there (msaporito@socialaw.com). This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
Day One: September 24, 2024 (4pm to 6pm)
Day Two: October 1, 2024 (4pm to 6pm)
Day Three: December 2, 2024 (4pm to 6pm)
CPCS approved 2.0 credits per session for the YAD Trials and Appeals and Criminal trial and Appeals.
CPCS approved 2.0 credits for the SDP/SORB panels for day 1 only.
CPCS approved 2.0 credits for the CAFL Trials and Appeals panels for day 3 only.
For more information and to register see link below
https://www.socialaw.com/evidence2024

EMDR: A Game Changer for Traumatized Children
2024-09-27 13:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
This webinar replay explores EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)– an evidence-based trauma therapy – and the incredible impact it can have in the healing of children in foster care.

Social Law Library Program: What to Do When a Loved One Dies: What a Lawyer needs to know when navigating the Probate Court
2024-09-30 16:00 - 18:00 | MA
This program is hosted by Social Law Library. Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there (msaporito@socialaw.com). This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
NOTE: 2 CPCS CLE credit for attorneys on the following panel: MHLD Trials
For More Information and to Register, use link below:
What to Do When a Loved One Dies – What a Lawyer needs to know when navigating the Probate Court (socialaw.com)

Our Clients Are Not Voiceless: Supporting Clients Speaking in Court
2024-10-08 14:30 - 15:30 | Zoom
Save the date! More information coming soon.

Representing Clients in Substituted Judgment Proceedings Involving the Request for the Authorization of Aversives by the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC)
2024-10-09 13:00 - 15:00 | MA
MHLD Training Department, Staff, and Colleagues Present:
Representing Clients in Substituted Judgment Proceedings Involving the Request for the Authorization of Aversives by the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC)
On Zoom: 2 CLE Credits: MHLD trial & appeals

JOIN Laura Sanford and Karen Talley and your colleagues to watch the recording as part of a facilitated viewing and discussion.
You will learn from:
Bob Fleischner, Senior Advisor to the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH), and Kathryn Rucker, Legal Director of the Center for Public Representation (CPR), who succeeded in getting a petition seeking painful skin shock denied in the Probate Court.
We will review the current law, how to identify and work with experts, and other strategies to zealously represent clients facing substituted judgment proceedings seeking use of Level III aversives.
After this training, you will be better prepared to:

Understand the current law and the proposed FDA regulations
Work with experts to educate the court about aversives and the alternatives
Collaborate with DDS
Advocate zealously for clients facing the potential use of aversive skin shock

Register in advance for this meeting:
October 9th JRC Showing Registration (1-3pm)
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

**This training is mandatory for guardianship panelists.**
This training is mandatory due to the SJC rulings in JRC v. DDS, 492 Mass. 772 (2023) and the resulting petitions for use of skin shock for behavioral control.
Email Laura (lsanford@publiccounsel.net) or Karen (ktalley@publiccounsel.net) with any questions.

Social Law Library: Preserving the Record and Standards of Review
2024-10-15 16:00 - 18:00 | MA
This program is hosted by Social Law Library Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there (msaporito@socialaw.com) This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
NOTE: 2 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following CPCS panels: Criminal Defense Trial, Adult Post-Conviction, YAD Trial and Appeals, Mental Health Appeals, and SDP panels.
Day 1 (October 15) will address how to preserve and raise issues for appeal in criminal cases.
Day 2 (October 22) will address how to understand and apply the layered standards of review on appeal in criminal cases.
Please see link below for more information, including how to register:
https://socialaw.com/preserverecord

Everything You Wanted to Know About Injectable Antipsychotics
2024-10-16 09:00 - 11:00 | MA
Everything You Wanted to Know About Injectable Antipsychotics
October 16, 2024 from 9 am to 11 am
(2 CLEs)
Virtually Join Hip Baez (RC for Franklin and Hampshire) and Deborah Hill Stevens (RC for Berkshire and Hampden) with Larisa Kouperschmidt, MD.
The first hour is the training with Dr. Kouperschmidt when she will give an overview of injectable antipsychotic medications.
Bring questions! Is your client on more than one injectable medication? What are the side effects? How are dosages determined? How should treatment be started?
During the second hour we will discuss what changes we would like to see to the probate forms.
MHLD DCC, Laura Sanford, was asked by the Administrative Office of the Probate Court to comment on what changes should be made to the forms. Are there particular forms which you think needs to be updated? Is there a form which doesn’t ask the pertinent questions? Is there a design change which would get the form to be filled out completely?
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82661457132?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 826 6145 7132
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Social Law Library: Navigating Changes to the Powers of a Guardian or Conservator and Alternatives to Guardianship
2024-10-17 09:00 - 12:00 | MA
This program is hosted by Social Law Library Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there (msaporito@socialaw.com) This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
Massachusetts Guardianship Association and The Social Law Library
Present Navigating Changes to the Powers of a Guardian or Conservator and Alternatives to Guardianship
Two Half-Day Programs
Day 1 Webinar: Thursday, October 17, 2024, 9 a.m. to noon
Expansion, Modification, and Limitation of Powers for Guardianships & Conservatorships Authority – how and when, and best practices, including Substituted Judgment Considerations: Steps of Expansion/Modification/Limitation; When to Expand;
Substituted Judgment, does it apply?
Day 2 Webinar: Thursday, October 24, 2024, 9 a.m. to noon
Restoration of Rights, Limited Guardianships and Alternatives to Guardianship
NOTE: 3 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following CPCS panels: Mental Health Litigation, MHLD Appeals; CAFL
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER USE LINK BELOW:
https://www.socialaw.com/mga2024
