Major developments

A new law separates the role of guardian ad litem and attorney for children in custody cases.

A pending Delaware bill would eliminate civil forfeiture and require appointment of counsel in criminal forfeiture proceedings.

A bill passed in 2017 requires parents to be appointed counsel at an emergency ex parte dependency hearing.

Calls to reform civil forfeiture proceedings have come from all sides of the aisle, with legislation filed at the federal and state level.

A 2017 law organizes all collection of criminal debt into contempt proceedings and requires the appointment of counsel.

Several bills would provide a right to counsel for all or certain forfeiture proceedings.

This bill would require appointment of counsel for a child in child protective proceedings who is living with a relative.

Two new articles in the Harvard Law & Policy Review support the right to counsel in debt cases.

Two bills would have provided a right to counsel for parents in private adoption cases, codifying a NJ Supreme Court ruling.

A bill would specify that parents are entitled to appointed counsel early in the child welfare process.

A series of bills would have required appointment of counsel prior to incarceration for failure to pay fines/fees.

The Supreme Court of South Carolina held there is a constitutional right to appointed counsel in sex offender commitment cases.

A bill would have required the public defender to be appointed in civil forfeiture proceedings.

These bills would require appointment of counsel for minor defendants in protection from abuse proceedings.

This bill would eliminate civil forfeiture and requires appointment of counsel for indigent persons opposing forfeiture.

These bills would require appointment of counsel for minor plaintiffs in protection from abuse proceedings.

DHHS' Administration for Children and Families has issued a memo calling for counsel for all parents/children in child welfare cases.

These bills would have provided a right to counsel for prospective adult wards in guardianship proceedings.

The Alaska Supreme Court has held that indigent parents have a state constitutional right to counsel in certain custody proceedings.

This bill would have removed the indigency requirement for a parent to have a right to counsel in termination of parental rights cases.

This bill would have abolished civil forfeiture and provided a right to counsel for criminal forfeiture proceedings.

This bill would have required a criminal conviction prior to forfeiture, and authorized the PD's office to represent an individual.

The Supreme Court of Utah held that parents may be constitutionally entitled to counsel in private termination of rights cases.

The latest Human Rights Report Card from NLCHP gives the United States a "D" on access to counsel in housing cases.

Reports from a MA Senate Committee and MA Trial Court Working Group call for a right to counsel in fees/fines cases.

A new campaign to end the criminalization of homelessness features right to counsel in housing cases as a major policy platform.

A NY Surrogate's Court held that proposed wards have a constitutional right to counsel in Article 17-A guardianship cases.

A new report by the American Immigration Council shows that represented immigrants are far more likely to be released and win their cases.

A commission created by the Nevada Supreme Court released a report calling for all potential wards to be provided counsel in guardianships.

At the 2016 NLADA Exemplar Award Dinner, Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called for the right to counsel in civil cases.