Dec. 1, 2010 – State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE™ recently released the third edition of the Wisconsin Juvenile Law Handbook, updated once again by attorneys who have collectively served for decades with the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office.
Focusing on procedures and substantive issues unique to juvenile cases, the Wisconsin Juvenile Law Handbook is an indispensable publication for attorneys practicing in Wisconsin’s juvenile courts. The book begins by describing the rights and roles of various parties in juvenile court and by discussing the initial considerations of jurisdiction and venue. Subsequent core chapters chronologically cover the prehearing, hearing, and postdispositional phases of a juvenile case. These chapters examine a variety of topics, including the criteria that must be met to hold a child or expectant mother in custody, the process for filing a petition, the conduct of discovery and motion practice, and the dispositional alternatives available in different cases.
In addition, the book devotes separate chapters to specific subjects: waiver into adult court; confidentiality; contempt and juvenile sanctions; termination of parental rights (TPR); parental consent for a minor’s abortion; and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). The new edition also adds a section describing the procedures specific to appeals of orders in TPR cases.
The book includes sample practice forms to use in juvenile court proceedings. The complete set of updated forms is included on an accompanying CD-ROM. The book also alerts readers to pertinent standard juvenile court forms.
This third edition of the Wisconsin Juvenile Law Handbook incorporates various recent legal developments affecting the area of juvenile law. Most notably, those developments include Wisconsin’s recent codification of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), an act resulting from the multiyear efforts of Indian tribes and state governmental employees to craft legislation in Wisconsin to establish standards and procedures – such as notice requirements and tribal jurisdiction – in cases involving the removal of an Indian child from a parent’s home. In addition, the Juvenile Law Handbook revision reflects legislation that brought Wisconsin into compliance with other federal acts relating to procedures for the placement of children outside the home. Discussions of recent appellate court decisions are also included. The authors of this third edition are Andrea Taylor Cornwall, Shelley M. Fite, Eileen Huie, Margaret Johnson, Kellie M. Krake, Jean M. LaTour, Eryn Menden, Janice P. Pasaba, Gina M. Pruski, Melinda Swartz, Mary A. Wolfe, and David Zerwick.
One reviewer has described the original edition of the Juvenile Law Handbook as “a comprehensive practice manual” and “one of the most useful” handbooks published by the State Bar of Wisconsin. The third edition builds on those origins and continues to offer practical guidance on concepts and processes that are essential to Wisconsin juvenile law attorneys.
The Wisconsin Juvenile Law Handbook is available to State Bar members for $155. Purchasers who subscribe to the State Bar’s automatic supplementation service will receive future updates for 10 percent off the regular update price. This title is also available to members in an electronic format as part of the State Bar’s online library, Books UnBound™, for $129 for a one-year subscription. (This online title is automatically available to Books UnBound™ subscribers who already have subscriptions to the full Books UnBound™ library.)
To order the Wisconsin Juvenile Law Handbook, or for more information, contact the State Bar at (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.
