Dependency defense is not unimportant; it is vital to our diverse society to have ethical and experienced attorneys serve as a check on the occasional excesses and missteps of government agents who have the power to take children from their parents with very broad discretion.  Where will we get the attorneys to fill that role?

When the 2007 Florida legislature was choosing between options to remake the delivery of legal services to the poor, one elected public defender (and the chair of the Florida Public Defender Association) commented, "I don't do dependency.  I don't pretend to know much about dependency.  But I am going to hire experts in dependency to handle that responsibility for me."

While the version of the law that would have given that responsibility to public defenders failed in favor of the law establishing the regional counsels, the quoted gentleman's remarks are no less important now, considering the long list of specialties cited above for which the regional counsels are now responsible.  

The regional counsels need experts in dependency to handle that responsibility for them, and expertise comes with time and experience.

DependencyDefense.com hopes that attorneys specializing in dependency defense in Florida will communicate with one another and work together to provide the services that the regional counsels will need, whether as trainers and consultants to newer lawyers or as contracted private counsel.