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representing children is quite different
than representing adults because
the whole set of circumstances is
different the children often didn’t have
any say in whether or not
they get to be involved in a lawsuit
there are a whole bunch of adults
circling around them making these
decisions on their behalf
they may not even be aware of the
lawsuit until sometime after it’s been
filed
so that’s one very distinct difference
oftentimes i am meeting the child
introducing myself to them
Meeting the Child
telling them surprise i’m your lawyer
um
for children that are in the dependency
system or the foster care system i’m not
the only lawyer that they have so we
have to spend a lot of time explaining
the difference between my role and their
dependency lawyer and if there’s perhaps
a
a companion criminal case the d.a who
they may have interacted with and you
Companion Criminal Cases
just have to spend a lot more time
getting to know them
um
encouraging them to open up to you and
to trust you you know with an adult
client
that person has chosen to seek you out
to put their trust in you to let you
handle their case
Adult Clients
with a child especially a child who’s
been abused by adults
it’s not as easy to gain their trust and
to get them to
see that you’re on their side that
you’re an adult that’s going to be there
for them and that’s a big difference
in representing children versus adults
Los Angeles, CA personal injury lawyer Carly Sanchez discusses how representing children is different than representing adults. She highlights that representing children is markedly different from representing adults due to the unique circumstances surrounding their cases. In many instances, children are not given a choice as to whether or not they want to be involved in a lawsuit, and decisions are made on their behalf by adults. Furthermore, they may not even be aware of the lawsuit until some time after it has been filed. As a result, one of the most significant differences is that much of the initial work involves introducing oneself to the child, explaining the nature of the case, and building a rapport with them. This is particularly true when working with children in the dependency or foster care systems, where they may have multiple lawyers representing them, including a dependency lawyer and possibly a criminal attorney. It takes more time and effort to build trust and establish oneself as an advocate for the child, particularly if the child has been abused by adults. By contrast, adult clients have chosen to seek out legal representation and have typically already decided to trust their lawyer with their case.
