NEW GUIDELINES
FOR GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR JUVENILES IN JUVENILE COURT PROCEEDINGS
Guidelines for Guardians
Ad Litem for Juveniles in Juvenile Court Proceedings were adopted
by the Nebraska Supreme Court on July 18, 2007.
You can view the full
set of guidelines on the Judicial Branch Web site on the ‘Rules’
page: http://court.nol.org/rules/index.shtml under
“Juvenile Matters” or go directly to the guidelines at: http://court.nol.org/rules/pdf/GAL_Guidelines.pdf
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REGGIE
RYDER OF LINCOLN TO LANCASTER COUNTY JUVENILE COURT
Gov. Dave Heineman today announced his appointment of Reggie
Ryder of Lincoln to serve as a judge for the Separate Juvenile
Court of Lancaster County, which handles the majority of cases
involving minors in Lincoln and Lancaster County.
“Reggie cares about the well-being of our children,” Gov. Heineman said. “His
extensive knowledge of the juvenile justice system will serve Lincoln and Lancaster
County well in his new role as a juvenile court judge. I am pleased that he is
open to new ideas that benefit children and that will
allow the Juvenile Court to be more responsive to the needs of families.”
“I am very excited about being selected by Governor Heineman,” said Ryder. “I
am extremely honored and grateful for all of the support and encouragement that
I have received during this process. I look forward to continuing my involvement
with the children and their families of Lancaster County
in my new role as a Juvenile Court Judge.”
Ryder, 35, has spent the majority of his legal career working in juvenile law.
Most recently, he has served as a Lancaster County Public Defender, representing
juvenile cases ranging from truancy concerns to instances of parental abuse and
neglect. He has handled more than 3,000 Juvenile Court cases since joining the
public defender’s office in 1998. Ryder has been an active member of
Lancaster County’s Juvenile Drug Team since last year.
Prior to joining the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office, Ryder was an
attorney with Anderson & Lepant, P.C., in Beatrice. In addition to juvenile
law, his duties included criminal, civil,
divorce and personal injury cases in the District and County Court of Gage County.
Ryder is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law. He has been a member of the American Bar
Association, Nebraska Bar Association, Lincoln Bar Association, National Association
of Trial Lawyers and the Nebraska Criminal Defense
Attorneys Association.
Ryder has served in a variety of community leadership and service positions including
the Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Lancaster County Juvenile Detention
Center Advisory Committee, and the Juvenile Court Collaboration Project. He has
served as an expert panel member for the Lancaster County Court Appointed Special
Advocate training program, and is a volunteer with local YMCA youth
sports programs
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WILLIAM WRIGHT
OF KEARNEY TO NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT JUDGESHIP
Gov. Dave Heineman today announced his appointment of
William Wright to serve as a district court judge for the Ninth
Judicial District, which includes Hall and Buffalo Counties.
Although Judge Wright will be headquartered in Buffalo County,
Gov. Heineman expects Wright will spend approximately 65% of
his time in Buffalo County and 35% of his time in Hall County.
“Mr. Wright’s extensive legal career lends valuable experience
to his new role as District Court Judge,” Gov. Heineman said.
“I am confident that he will serve the counties of Hall and Buffalo
very well as he spends his time working with the people in this
district.”
For 21 years, Wright,
57, has been a partner at Jacobsen, Orr, Nelson, Wright & Lindstrom law office in Kearney, with experience
in defense litigation and tort claims ranging from general and
automobile negligence to premises and products liability. His
work also focused on defense of employers, political subdivisions,
governmental entities, police officers, and alleged violators
of fair employment laws. From 1978 to 1986, Wright was a partner
at Parker, Grossart, Bahensky & Wright in Kearney.
Wright is an active member of the Nebraska Bar Commission, having
been appointed by the Nebraska Supreme Court in 2001. He is a
member of the American Bar Association.
Wright said, “I feel very fortunate to be chosen for this position.
The Governor could not have made a bad decision. All four candidates
were highly qualified and I was honored simply to be among them.”
Wright graduated from the University of Iowa in 1970 and entered
the U.S.
Army as a commissioned officer. He served four years. He received
his law degree in 1977 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln
College of Law.
Wright has been a volunteer for several community groups including
Habitat for Humanity, the Knights of Columbus, Saint James Chapter
of Kearney, and the Kearney Literacy Council. He is also a former
board member for the Kearney Catholic High School Foundation
Board and the Kearney Catholic High School Activities Association.
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GOVERNOR'S
WEEKLY COLUMN - NEW TOOL IMPROVES ACCOUNTABILITY
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
The division charged with improving services for vulnerable
children and families within the new Nebraska Department of Health
and Human Services recently unveiled a new tool to help Nebraskans
track our performance in serving children in need throughout
our state.
The Division of Children and Family Services has taken a significant
step toward improving accountability and transparency by launching
a new interactive website that tracks progress when it comes
to improving Nebraska’s child welfare system.
Officially known as Children’s Outcomes Measured in Protection
and Safety Statistics, but better known as COMPASS, this program
makes it easy to see what’s happening with our foster care and
child welfare system.
The COMPASS site is updated monthly, and allows anyone to dial-up
the most current data tracking the work of the Division of Children
and Families.
Because we work closely with Nebraska courts on every child welfare
case, information can be displayed according to specific judicial
districts or by geographic region. The site also tracks performance
in key areas identified as priorities by both state and federal
agencies.
In recent years the federal government has begun measuring each
state’s child welfare system according to a list of performance
measures. Regular reviews are done to track progress in achieving
safe outcomes for children and success in developing stronger
families. Nebraska was last reviewed in
2002 and just as in other states; there was considerable room
for improvement. A follow-up review is scheduled for next year
and I have made it a priority that we show clear improvement
over the 2002 review.
The launch of the COMPASS site is a turning point because it
is the first time this level of detail has been made available
on the performance and achievements of the Division of Children
and Family Services. It demonstrates our willingness to share
information in an open and honest way – regardless of whether
it shows success or the need for improvement.
Now and in the coming year, the entire Division of Children
and Family Services will be focused on strengthening performance
in several key areas of the federal review, including: achieving
stable placements for state wards, ensuring the safety of children
while in foster care, reuniting children with their families,
completing adoptions within a reasonable time frame, and helping
ensure that children do no re-enter the system. The status of
each of these measures is reflected on the new COMPASS site.
The COMPASS project is the result of improved collaboration
between the Department of Health and Human Services and our courts,
and I want to express my appreciation to all those in our judicial
branch who are helping improve service to children and families.
I encourage anyone with an interest in these issues to visit
the COMPASS website, available online at http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/compass,
and to help track our progress in the year ahead.
We are in the midst of a major improvement effort and this new
tool will help make our progress more accessible to all Nebraskans
by demonstrating improvement in our efforts to provide opportunities
for children to grow to their fullest potential here in our great
state.
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LEGAL SELF-HELP DESK PILOT PROJECT UNDERWAY IN LANCASTER COUNTY
A new Legal Self-Help Desk opened in the Lancaster County Courthouse
located next door to the Clerk of the District Court’s office
on July 2, 2007. The office is designed to provide legal information
to individuals who are not able to retain the services of an
attorney for representation in civil matters before the courts.
“While the Self-Help Desk is not a substitute for representation
by a lawyer, the reality is that many individuals appear in
court unrepresented by legal counsel. Most of these people
have few or no resources to hire an attorney. They attempt
to navigate the court system on their own without correct information
and with an incomplete understanding of the workings of the
court system. The Self-Help Desk will make available correct
and current information on Nebraska law and court proceedings
in family law matters such as divorce, child custody, support,
and visitation” said Court of Appeals Judge Richard D. Sievers,
Chairperson of the Nebraska Supreme Court Pro Se Committee.
The Self-Help Desk is located off the Jury Lounge on the third
floor at the Lancaster County Courthouse at 575 South 10th
Street in Lincoln and is open Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m., Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and Thursdays
12:00 to 4:00 p.m. No legal advice is provided, only legal
information. The Lancaster County Self-Help Desk houses a small
library of legal resources including manuals and brochures
specific to Lancaster County.
“We
are particularly pleased that Lancaster County has been selected
as the first site in the state for this type of legal self-help
center. The high level enthusiasm shown by volunteer lawyers
from Lancaster County who will provide most of the staffing
as well as Legal Aid of Nebraska and the Nebraska State Bar
Association is critical to the success of this project,”
said Judge Karen Flowers. “We thank them, as well as Sue Kirkland,
Clerk of the District Court, and her staff for their time and
effort on this project which is designed to facilitate citizen
access to the judicial system.”
The effort to establish a Self-Help pilot project began in November
of 2006 as an initiative of the Nebraska Supreme Court Committee
on Implementation of Pro Se Litigation, chaired by Sievers.
A partnership between Legal Aid of Nebraska and the Nebraska
State Bar Association evolved to operate the Self Help center
under the supervision of the Committee as an 18 month pilot
project. Legal Self-Help Centers have been well established
in many other states across the country by Court Systems and
Bar Associations to deal with the challenges presented to courts
and court staff by the increasing number of self-represented
litigants in America’s courts.
For additional information, please contact:
Honorable Richard D. Sievers, Nebraska Court of Appeals and Chair
of the Nebraska Supreme Court Committee on the Implementation
of Pro Se Assistance, 402-471-3732.
Jean McNeil, Nebraska State Bar Association Director of Legal
Services and Self-Help Desk Coordinator, 402-475-7091, or
Jen Gaughan, Legal Aid of Nebraska Managing Attorney, 402-435-2161.
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NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE CHIEF JUSTICE'S ANNUAL
JUDICIAL AWARDS
September 7 is the deadline to nominate the judge of your
choice for “Distinguished Judge for Improvement of the Judicial
System” award or “Distinguished Judge for Service to the Community”
award.
The 2007 nomination form is now on-line at: www.supremecourt.ne.gov/community/distinguished-judge/index.shtml.
Please participate
by nominating a judge who fits either of the categories. These awards are established to publicly recognize members of
the judiciary for meritorious projects and exemplary accomplishments
which enhance the vision of justice within our communities.
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THIRD ANNUAL LEGAL DIVERSITY SUMMIT
The third annual legal diversity summit is
scheduled for September 14th at the Doubletree Hotel in Omaha.
You may register at http://www.nelegaldiversity.org.
For additional information, please
click here.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!!
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NSBA ANNUAL MEETING
The NSBA Annual Meeting is scheduled for October 17-19, 2007
at the Cornhusker Marriott hotel in Lincoln. There are many exciting
speakers this year. Click here for additional information.
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