Oct 31, 2024  
2018-2019 Law Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Law Catalog [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

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LAW 4704 - 17-A Guardianship Demonstration Project


The Guardianship Demonstration Project (DP) offers students the opportunity to work in a pioneering interdisciplinary demonstration project sponsored by the Law School’s Center for Children, Families and the Law designed to improve the quality of representation provided to developmentally disabled or delayed children in Guardianship Proceedings under Section 17-A of the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act. Students in the DP will learn the governing law and the practice of guardianships. They will also be exposed to interdisciplinary knowledge concerning the nature and extent of developmental disabilities in children. Students will develop skills in interviewing, case assessment, counseling and courtroom advocacy. Students will interview and counsel their clients- often the parents of the child- and draft petitions for guardianship. Students will conduct hearings before the Surrogate’s Court of Nassau and Suffolk Counties which are cooperating with the Demonstration Project. In the final weeks of the DP students will help analyze and draft potential changes in the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act that their experience in the DP supports. Their work will be supervised by a former Judge of the Surrogate’s Court, a former Court Administrator and lawyer experienced in the area. This course is a Demonstration Project to be offered for two years and, if successful will be incorporated into the Law School’s more permanent curriculum.

Prerequisites & Notes
There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for participation in the DP but enrollment preference will be given to students who have demonstrated interest in Family Law. The DP is open to second and third year law students by permission and only upon the submission of the appropriate application (in the form of a 200 word essay explaining their desire to take this course) and a personal interview.

Credits: 4





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