Abuse Cases Attorney in Torrance, California

How is representing children different than representing adults?

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00:04
representing children is quite different
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than representing adults because
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the whole set of circumstances is
00:10
different the children often didn’t have
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any say in whether or not
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they get to be involved in a lawsuit
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there are a whole bunch of adults
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circling around them making these
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decisions on their behalf
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they may not even be aware of the
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lawsuit until sometime after it’s been
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filed
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so that’s one very distinct difference
00:28
oftentimes i am meeting the child
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introducing myself to them
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telling them surprise i’m your lawyer
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um
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for children that are in the dependency
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system or the foster care system i’m not
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the only lawyer that they have so we
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have to spend a lot of time explaining
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the difference between my role and their
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dependency lawyer and if there’s perhaps
00:49
a
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a companion criminal case the d.a who
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they may have interacted with and you
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just have to spend a lot more time
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getting to know them
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um
01:00
encouraging them to open up to you and
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to trust you you know with an adult
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client
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that person has chosen to seek you out
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to put their trust in you to let you
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handle their case
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with a child especially a child who’s
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been abused by adults
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it’s not as easy to gain their trust and
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to get them to
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see that you’re on their side that
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you’re an adult that’s going to be there
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for them and that’s a big difference
01:26
in representing children versus adults

Los Angeles, CA personal injury lawyer Carly Sanchez discusses how representing children is different than representing adults. She explains 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.

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