The Child & Family Law Center

Newsletter Summer, 2016
Restraint and Seclusion in School
By Attorney Sharon Falen

The proper approach to just and effective behavioral intervention has been a central issue for parents, educators, and legal advocates alike, especially in recent years. This topic is of particular importance to either those who have a child with a disability or who represent children in the special education context. Many questions arise, such as What boundaries should teachers have in maintaining order in the classroom? Should those students who act out due to their disabilities be subjected to the same form of discipline as those students without an IEP or 504 Plan? What exactly do the current laws require? Since the pivotal case Ingraham v. Wright (1977) and even earlier, local governments have wrestled with defining the blurred line between student discipline and corporal punishment in schools. It may surprise some reader to learn that there is no federal uniform regulation and that the laws of individual states vary significantly.  
Equality in Education: The Denial of FAPE as a Result of a Systemic Breakdown
By Attorney Micki Moran

I started my practice on the North Shore of Chicago for a number of reasons. The most important one was that I lived in one of the suburbs, was a single mother with no family to count on and the school systems were and area among the best in the state. When I first began representing families in the early years on a pro-bono basis, I was struck by the level of inequality at every level for those students in the city of Chicago and less affluent suburbs. Click to continue reading

Summary of Dear Colleague Letter - November 16, 2015
By Attorney Sharon Falen

On November 16, 2015, the United States Department of Education issued a "Dear Colleague Letter" in an effort to clarify for States and local educational agencies their obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In summary, the Letter reminds school districts of the intention under which the Act was created, namely to ensure that every student with a disability receives meaningful access to an education on par with the state's academic standards for all children. In other works, a student's individualized education plan must be aligned with the statewide and district wide "academic content standards" for the grade in which he or she is enrolled. Click to continue reading

Attorney Sharon L. Falen joins the Child & Family Law Center

The Child & Family Law Center of the North Shore is happy to welcome Sharon L. Falen to our office as an associate attorney. 

Sharon has committed herself to advocacy for children and families since the inception of her professional career. She received her bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and received her Juris Doctor degree at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, earning a Certificate in Child and Family Law. In her final year of law school, Sharon was part of the Executive Board of the Children's Legal Rights Journal, and she worked in Loyola's Child Law Clinic representing youth in abuse and neglect cases and serving as guardian ad litem in contested divorce proceedings.

Sharon has worked in the Child Protection Division of Cook County Juvenile Court in various capacities, including as a judicial intern and Court Coordinator for a circuit court judge and later as an extern with the Office of the Public Guardian. She has also worked in private law offices defending parents' rights and volunteered with CGLA and LAF legal aid organizations serving financially  underprivileged clients in Cook County.  Currently, Sharon is a member of the Association of Women Lawyers of Lake County, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Lake County Bar Association, and she volunteers for the Borderless Pro Bono Family Law Project through Prairie State Legal Services.

Sharon is a great addition to the office and will be a strong asset to our ongoing mission of providing excellent legal services to children and families.

IMPORTANT NEWS: Since the overhaul of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act in January 2016, the Illinois Supreme Court has been working on uniform forms for divorce attorneys in a variety of areas. Just recently, the Illinois Supreme Court posted uniform forms for Financial Affidavits and interim attorney fee awards on its website:


Source: Illinois State Bar Association
Upcoming Events:

Webinar
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Decision Making for your Young Adult with Mental Health Challenges or Developmental Disabilities
Presented by Joe Scally
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
7:00-7:30 p.m.

Presentation

Micki Moran along with Dr. Rachel Loftin of the AARTS Center at Rush will present Autism Spectrum Disorder Sexuality and the Criminal Justice System. Sponsored by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, Micki and Rachel will conduct training on this important for juvenile attorneys, probation officers, judges, and members of the juvenile justice court.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Vernon Hills, IL


 

Coming Soon...

The Child & Family Law Center to launch a new website, SpecialNeedsDivorceIllinois.com. Stay tuned...
About Us
 
The Child & Family Law Center, founded by Micki Moran in 1995, is a unique legal practice that specializes in providing services to families and children in the areas of Special Education, IEP Consultation, Guardianship, Juvenile Law, Criminal Law, Mental Health Law, DCFS, Divorce and Parental Responsibility, Parenting Agreements, and Mediation.

We provide representation in Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane and Will Counties.

Please call our office to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys.

The Child & Family Law Center
1950 Sheridan Road, Suite 201
Highland Park, IL 60035
Phone (847)926-0101
Fax (847)926)8500
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