2014 Report to the Community - Children's Law Center of Minnesota · 2019. 12. 16. · Karen &...

2014 Report to the

Community

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for another suc-

cessful year.

Many years ago, a group of attorneys,

teachers, judges, social workers and

other

advocates came together to discuss

how to improve the impact and effec-

tiveness of legal advocacy for foster

care and at-risk children. Those con-

versations ultimately resulted in the

establishment of Children’s Law Center

of Minnesota in 1995. Today we’re still

going strong.

What we do is only possible because of

the support of incredibly dedicated

volunteers and generous law firms,

businesses, foundations and individuals

who financially support us

because they understand the im-

portance of legal representation for

foster care children. We are deeply

grateful.

In the fall of 2015, CLC will mark its

20th anniversary. Looking ahead, with

your help we will continue to meet the

challenges involved in representing

foster care youth. We look forward to

The Year in Numbers:

Provided direct legal representa-

tion to 606 uth.

The youth that CLC represented

in 2014 included 35 high school

seniors, 34 of whom graduated

during the year (one is still at-

tending school in an Individual-

ized Education Program and is on

Page 1 2014 Report to the Community

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for another successful year.

Many years ago, a group of attorneys, teachers, judges, social workers and other

advocates came together to discuss how to improve the impact and effectiveness of

legal advocacy for foster care and at-risk children. Those conversations ultimately

resulted in the establishment of Children’s Law Center of Minnesota in 1995. Today

we’re still going strong.

What we do is only possible because of the support of incredibly dedicated volun-

teers and generous law firms, businesses, foundations and individuals who financially

support us because they understand the importance of legal representation for foster

care children. We are deeply grateful.

In the fall of 2015, CLC will mark its 20th anniversary. Looking ahead, with your help

we will continue to meet the challenges involved in representing foster care youth.

We look forward to celebrating with you.

Sincerely,

Thad Johnson Lilia Panteleeva, Esq.

2014 President Executive Director

CLC Board of Directors

The Year in Numbers

Authored 2 Practice Points for volunteers and

youth service workers: Permanency Best Practices

for Minnesota’s Foster Care Youth (also published in

the William Mitchell Law Review) and Understand-

ing and Utilizing the Reasonable Efforts Standard in

Child Protection Matters.

Reached 600 attorneys, teachers, law students,

legislators, social workers and others through

outreach and training sessions on the importance

of legal representation for foster care youth, laws

regarding children aging out of foster care, and

the collateral consequences of charging youth

with criminal offenses.

Provided direct legal representation to 606 youth.

The youth that CLC represented in 2014 included 35

high school seniors, 34 of whom graduated during

the year (with one still on track to graduate.) More

than half of the graduates (61 percent) are enrolled in

post-secondary programs, and 88 percent are em-

ployed.

Recruited and trained 42 new volunteer lawyers to

represent CLC’s clients.

Two of our staff received well-deserved recognition by the larger community for their

amazing skill and dedication.

Staff social worker, Weida Allen, received two awards in 2014—the Bernard P. Becker

Legal Services Staff Award, presented by the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota Lawyer Unsung Legal Heroes Award. Weida has been a staff social worker with CLC since 2002 and has worked on over 2,000 CLC cases.

Managing staff attorney Anne Gueinzius was selected as one of Minnesota Lawyer’s Attorneys of the Year 2014. Anne has been representing children in juvenile court since 1997. In addition to training, supporting and supervising

volunteer attorneys, she carries a significant caseload.

Staff and former clients had several opportunities to share insights through the media. Executive director Lilia Panteleeva

and staff social worker Weida Allen were interviewed by InsightNews about CLC’s legal advocacy for children in foster care. Lilia and Sekou Moore, a former client, were featured on Comcast Newsmakers to explain why children in the child protection system need attorneys. Nina Boswell, also a former

client, was interviewed by ??? about her experience for Foster Care Awareness Month.

CLC staff attorneys contributed to the Homeless Youth Handbook—Minnesota, created by Baker & McKenzie, Ecolab and

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Minnesota. The handbook is a free resource to help homeless youth in the area understand their legal rights.

CLC provided testimony to the Minnesota House Early Childhood and Youth Development Policy Committee on the Emancipation of Minors Bill. Rep. The bill, which was tabled in March 2014, outlines a process by which a juvenile who reaches the age of 16 could petition the juvenile court for emancipation.

Direct Representation


These charts reflect statistical and demographic details for youth served in 2014:

Highlights

Two of our staff received well-deserved recognition by the larger community for their amazing skill and dedication.

Staff social worker, Weida Allen, received two awards in 2014: the Bernard P. Becker Legal Services

Staff Award, presented by the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota Lawyer

Unsung Legal Heroes Award. Weida has been a staff social worker with CLC since 2002

and has worked on over 2,000 CLC cases.

Managing staff attorney Anne Gueinzius was selected as one of Minnesota Lawyer’s

Attorneys of the Year 2014. Anne has been representing children in juvenile court since

1997. In addition to training, supporting and supervising volunteer attorneys, she carries a

significant caseload.

Staff and former clients had several opportunities to share insights through the media.

Executive director Lilia Panteleeva and staff social worker Weida Allen were interviewed

by InsightNews about CLC’s legal advocacy for children in foster care. Lilia and Sekou

Moore, a former client, were featured on Comcast Newsmakers to explain why children

in the child protection system need attorneys. Nina Boswell, also a former client, was interviewed for the

CW23 show Our Issues Twin Cities about her experience for Foster Care Awareness Month.


Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. The handbook is a free resource to help homeless youth in the area under-

stand their legal rights.

CLC provided testimony to the Minnesota House Early Childhood and Youth Development Policy Committee on the

Emancipation of Minors Bill. The bill, which was tabled in 2014, then reintroduced in early 2015, outlines a process by which a

juvenile who reaches the age of 16 could petition the juvenile court for emancipation.

As an active member of the Minnesota Supreme Court Juvenile Protection Rules Committee, managing attorney Anne

Gueinzius participated in the development of proposed amendments and rules regarding electronic filing of court docu-

ments and electronic access to juvenile protection case records. The proposed access changes are intended to allow for

transparency, while protecting the privacy of children who have been abused and neglected.

Gender:

Female 54%

Male 46%













Connie MacKrell Alan & Jeanne Maclin

Mall of America Kateri Mancini Judy & Pat Mandale

Steve Marchese Thomas R. Marek Thomas Conlin & Kathleen

Marron Jerry Mathwig Karen & Leroy Maunu Rita McConnell & Steven Mattaini

Elaine & Peter McGillivray Anne McShane Medtronic, Inc.

Claudia Melo Merchant & Gould Metro Sales Fund of the

Minneapolis Foundation Amelia Franck Meyer Mark Meyer

Susan Mielenhausen Anne Miller Sonny Miller

Hon. Laurie Miller Minnesota State Bar Foundation Brad Mason Jessie & Sam Mischke

Betsy Moran Julia Morgan Cynthia Moyer

Melanie Mozingo George & Judy Murukami Murukami Family Fund of the Saint

Paul Foundation Mystic Lake Casino Kathryn Nelson & H.T. Fish

Kristen Nelson Seth Nielsen Dick Nigon

Nilan Johnson Lewis, PA Michael Nilan Terence and Christine Noonan Family Fund of the Saint Paul Foun-

dation Northland Foundation Michael Nowotny

Karin Stein O'Boyle Lynne & Dan O'Connell Elizabeth R. Odette

Kristin M. Olson Sherrill R. Oman Oppenheimer Wolff &

Donnelly LLP Vivian Orey Otto Bremer Foundation Lilia Panteleeva

Jessica & Justin Passaro Patterson Thuente IP Emily Peckskamp

Diane Simerson Peterson James Pielemeier Meghan Pierce

Michael & Renee Popkin

Thank you!


We are grateful to the following generous donors who contributed to CLC in 2014:

3M/3M Foundation

Sue Abderholden Judith Albrecht Robert Alfano

Weida Allen Cynthia Anderson Eric Anderson & Janalee Aurelia Anonymous

Archie & Bertha Walker Foundation

Arthur Chapman Kettering

Smetak & Pikala, P.A. Patrick Atanalian & Catherine

Minor

Todd Axtell Norman & Kathy Baer Bakken Family WRC Foundation

Barnes & Thornburg LLP Grant Barrick Mary Pat Bauman

Lacie Baumgartner Jim and Karen Becker Daniel & Caroline Beckman Virginia Bell

Ashley Bennett Ewald Best & Flanagan, L.L.P. Bibelot

Hon. Robert & Linda Birnbaum Steph Bitterman Kristin Boetticher

Angela Bohmann & Jonathan Riehle—Bohmann/Riehle Family Fund of the Minneapolis

Foundation Hon. Gail Chang & P. Richard Bohr Hildy Bowbeer

John & Kim Bowden Joseph & Elizabeth Brama Linda & John Breviu Briggs and Morgan/Briggs and

Morgan Foundation Richard Brody & Margaret Flynn Laura J. Broomell

Bryant Lake Bowl Mary Cade Richard Carlbom & Justin Schramm

Andrew Carlson Mark Carpenter & Ann Kraemer Michelle Chalmers

Charlson Foundation Ryan Michael Check Maria Christu Jon C & Ann D Cieslak

Michael Ciresi Cole's Salon, Burnsville Amy & Jim Conway

Lucia Copland Courey, Kosanda & Zimmer, P.A. Robert and Teri Crosby

Kristin & Clinton Cutler Annamarie A. Daley Candace Daley

William Davidson Amos Deinard Brian Dillon

DLA Piper LLP

Dorsey & Whitney LLP/ Dorsey & Whitney Foundation

Jim & Yvonne Dorsey

Michael Driscoll Duluth-Superior Area Community

Foundation Duncan Family

Charitable Fund Earl D. and Marian N. Olson Fund of

the Saint Paul Foundation

Ecolab John F. Eisberg and Susan Kline

Charitable Fund of the

Minneapolis Foundation Lilian & Gabriel Ejebe Peter Ekberg

Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation

John & Amelia Engberg

Brad Engdahl & Patricia Layton Larry Espel Faegre Baker Daniels/Faegre Baker

Daniels Foundation

Family Enhancement Center Bruce Finzen Caren Fitzgerald & Todd Mitchell

Paul Floyd Timothy Flynn W. Anders & Angela Pennington Folk

Linda Foreman & Hon. Mel Dickstein

Anita Foster

Roma Foti David H. Fox Bill & Judy Franke

Tom Fraser & Mary Strand Fredrikson & Byron, P.A./Fredrikson

& Byron Foundation Barbara Frey

Diane Frick Lisa & Bill Fulton Lois & Richard Gehrman

John W. Getsinger Roy S. Ginsburg Margaret Goetze

Barbara L. Golden Daniel Good Demoya Gordon

Duana Grage Michelle Suzanne Grant Gray Plant Mooty Foundation Greene Espel

Polly Grose Pat and Tom Grossman Family Fund

of the Minnesota

Community Foundation Anne Tyler Gueinzius Guthrie Theater

Greg Haase & Bridget Ahmann Catherine McGraw Haffa Carolyn Ham

Hamline University School of Law John L. Hanna Ann Marie Hanrahan

Hon. Samuel L. Hanson

Kent & Judith Harbison Judy Hardebeck & Bill Cherne Hardenbergh Foundation

Christine & John Harvey Bill & Kathy Haug Eugene L. Heck William Hefner & Julie Rohovit

Carrie Hefte Jerry Hendrickson Peter & Carolyn Hendrixson

Hennepin County Bar Foundation Jessica Hern Hogan Lovells

Jean Holloway Andrew Horstman & Katy Perry Hotel Ivy

Ariel Howe Joan Humes Susan M. Humiston

Michelle Huntley Frances G. Iverson Don Jacobs & Jill Julsrud Ann Jaede

James R. Thorpe Foundation Suzanne Janse-Vreeling Jeremy Johnson

Lindsay Johnson Marlene Johnson Thad & Suzanne Johnson

Nancy K. Jones Junek Family Fund Sara Karki

Steven Katz Becky Kelly Denise Kettelberger & Clarance Smith

Lisa R. Kiesel & Adam Backstrom Luanne Koskinen Paul & Kelly Koziol Paul Krause

Dora & Karthik Kripapuri Duane Krohnke Mark & Sara Kronholm

Ellen Krug Mark Krug Kathleen Kuehl

J.J. Kuhn Tami Kurtzweil James Langdon

Jon & Diane Larson Raymond Lazar Robert Leonard Randi Levine

John & Stephanie Levy Sharon Lewis Tina Liebling & Mark Liebow

Lindquist & Vennum, P.L.L.P. Rick Linsk Anne M. Lockner

The London Family Stephen Lucke Luther I. Replogle Foundation

Katherine MacKinnon & Michael Morrow














Warren & Paula Suss

Thomas Swigert Amy Taber John A. Taft

Richard & Jan Gibson Talbot Target Corporation Karen Tarrant Jon and Lea Theobald

Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, L.L.P.

Bill & Linda Thompson

Thomson Reuters Becky R. Thorson Tom Tinkham & Jacquelyn Hauser

U.S. Trust UnitedHealth Group Theresa Van Riessen

Hon. Mary Vasaly Victor and Lisa Vieth Viking Children's Fund

Richard L. & Lynn J. Voelbel W Minneapolis-The Foshay W. Edward & Mary Hester Mullin Fund

of the Catholic Community Foundation

Walling, Berg & Debele, P.A. Warren Foundation Wendy Watson

Esther Wattenberg Wells Foundation Hon. Mark Wernick

Whitney Foundation Carol Wiessner Wild Mountain

James E. Wilkinson III Winthrop & Weinstine, PA Jill Wroblewski

Pat Yoedicke Mitch E. Zamoff Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP Alysia Zens

David B. Potter & Darwin Lookingbill

David Probst Jim & Nancy Proman Denise Rahne

Ramsey County Bar Foundation

Melissa Raphan Jim Reece

Mary C. Regan Karen Reierson Sara M. Reisdorf

Marianne Remedios & John Wald Melissa Remick Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

Michael Rowe Amy J. Russell The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Sheva & Tom Sanders Karen A. Schaffer Mark P. Schneebeck

Joanne Schneider Hon. Gary Schurrer & Lynn Schurrer Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner, P.A. Science Museum of Minnesota

Aaron Scott Seely Legal Services, P.A. Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux

Community Jessica Shiffman Karin Simonson

Bonnie Skelton Brian Smith Chad Snyder

Robert Sprague Roger Stageberg Ivan and Nina Starchook

Kathryn Steen Pamela Steinle Leo & Christine Stern Steven Meyer & Kari Nelson

Floyd & Mary Lou Stewart Pam Stewart Cass Stillman

Stinson Leonard Street John Sullivan

Tributes

In honor of Tom Fraser

Fredrikson & Byron Foundation

In memory of Marjorie Gueinzius

Hon. Gail Chang & Richard Bohr

In memory of N. Judge King

Hon. Gail Chang & Richard Bohr

In celebration of the wedding of Dick Nigon & Dawn Sonnee

Judy & Pat Mandale,

Diane Frick

In honor of Margaret & Dieter von Haefen

Barbara & Steven London

We sincerely apologize for any errors in our list. Please call Jenny Harding,

Development Director, with any corrections — 651.644.4438

My lawyer made me

feel like I had a voice

and what I wanted

mattered to someone.

– CLC client

Thank you also to the many dedicated volunteers

who donate their time and expertise to help uphold

the rights of youth.

450 N. Syndicate Street,

Suite 315

Saint Paul, MN 55104

Phone: 651-644-4438

Fax: 651-646-4404

E-mail: [email protected]

Each year, Children’s Law Center of Minnesota provides hundreds of abused and neglected youth

with trustworthy, high quality legal representation, helping them navigate the child welfare and

foster care systems. With a dedicated corps of more than 250 volunteer pro bono attorneys, we

help improve and stabilize the lives of foster care youth—kids who might otherwise be at serious

risk of homelessness, school failure, substance abuse, incarceration or a lifetime of dependence on

public assistance.

Our mission is to promote the rights and interests of Minnesota’s children in the judicial, child

welfare, health care, and education systems.

was happy to have some-

one to talk to. From that

point on, over a period of

many months, Sara and I

slowly built a trusting rela-

tionship. Whenever we

were in court, it didn’t mat-

ter if I agreed with what

she wanted, Sara knew that

I would relate those desires

to the judge.

A turning point in the case

was when the County pro-

posed that Sara be sent to

a residential treatment fa-

cility six hours away from

home. This would have

taken her away from one of

the only motivations she

had (her little sister) and

the few good friends she

My client was a 17-year-old

girl (I’ll call her Sara) who had

been in foster care for the

majority of her life. Life had

dealt her a rough hand. Mom

was homeless and struggling

with a cocaine addiction. Dad

was taking care of Sara’s

younger sister with a good

deal of success. But combin-

ing Dad and Sara was like oil

and water, which made reuni-

fication a difficult task.

I first met Sara when she was

sent to a 30-day evaluation

center. Our first meeting

surprised me. She was smart,

well-spoken, and had a big

goal: to become a dentist.

She didn’t know what having

a lawyer meant, but that she

Sara’s Story

About Children’s Law Center of Minnesota

had at school. This was anoth-

er example of everyone else in

her life telling her how she

should live. Nobody, she felt,

was listening to what she

wanted for herself.

I was able to

successfully

argue to the

judge that

sending her

away to this

facility would

be counterproductive. Later, it

was decided that the child

protection case involving Sara

should be dismissed. At last

report, she is successfully living

at home with her father and

finishing high school.

A volunteer attorney describes a recent success:

Our vision is that foster care youth will have:

Straightforward, immediate access to effective services.

The support they need to overcome trauma and make a smooth

transition to adulthood.

Positive permanency that includes meaningful connections with

trustworthy adults.

A sense of empowerment and control over their own

futures.

Stability, hope, and opportunity.

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2014 Report to the Community - Children's Law Center of Minnesota · 2019. 12. 16. · Karen &...

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