Appellate Advocacy in Termination of Parental Rights Cases (2/5/2021)

This seminar was presented by The Appellate Lawyers Association and the Justices of the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District, and the on demand recording is co-sponsored by The Chicago Bar Association. Attendance at this training program is a part of the qualification process to be considered for the CBA’s in-court referral program for Juvenile appellate cases.  The program will present a general discussion of the substantive law governing termination of parental rights cases, including Illinois Supreme Court decisions and relevant appellate case law. The seminar will be divided into two topics of discussion.

Dr. Bruce A. Boyer, Director of Loyola University of Chicago School of Law’s Civitas Child Law Clinic, will discuss the importance of providing counsel for parents in termination of parental rights cases; Anders motions and obligations of appointed counsel; conflict issues; and relevant case law. Dr. Boyer is an expert in child welfare law with extensive scholarly and professional experience in the area of child abuse and neglect.

Christopher L. Schaeffer, an attorney in the Chicago office of the law firm of Howard & Howard Attorneys, PLLC and adjunct professor of legal writing for civil appeals at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, will discuss appellate procedure for termination cases; appellate issue spotting; general brief writing strategies; and considerations for termination cases on appeal. Before entering private practice, Mr. Schaeffer was a judicial law clerk for Justice Kathryn E. Zenoff of the Illinois Appellate Court, where he assisted Justice Zenoff in the disposition of numerous termination appeals.    

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