Children and the Law Section
Annual Report
2022-2023
Section Membership
As of June 1, 2023 the Section has 166 members.
Financial Status
The Section had an account balance of $11,014.00 as of April 30, 2023.
CLEs & Events
The Section hosted 10 events in fiscal year 2022-23.
| Program Title | Date | Event Code | CLE Credits | Attendees | Virtual/ In-person/ Hybrid |
| NACC National Child Welfare Conference - Why Attend? | 6/6/2023 | 480911 | N/A | 4 | Virtual |
| Children and the Law Section Annual Meeting and CLE | Thugs - The Criminalization of Black Youth Film Viewing and Discussion | 5/18/2023 | 483223 | 1.5 Elimination of Bias | 16 | In Person |
| Perspectives on Transforming the Child Protection System - Connecticut’s Journey | 4/14/2023 | 479799 | 1.0 Elimination of Bias | 37 | Virtual |
| Children and Predatory Offender Registration in Minnesota - Recent Proposals for Legislative Reform | 3/20/2023 | 480911 | 1.0 Standard | 28 | Virtual |
| Understanding the Role of Youth’s Counsel - A Practitioner’s Perspective for Courts, Prosecutors, and Justice Partners | 3/9/2023 | 482397 | 1.0 Standard | 19 | Virtual |
| Avoiding Burnout - What Fuels your Fire? | 2/28/2023 | 478158 | 1.0 Standard | 35 | Virtual |
| A New Way Forward for SIJS - Petitioning the Juvenile Court for Guardianship and Special Findings for Young People Ages 18 to 21 | 11/30/2022 | 473221 | 1.0 Standard | 52 | Virtual |
| Centering the Voices of Fosters - Policy Reform and Legislative Advocacy for Fosters by Fosters to Child Protection Systems | 10/31/2022 | 474995 | 1.0 Standard | 13 | Virtual |
| Legislative Auditor’s 2022 Report Child Protection Removals and Reunifications - Overview and Discussion | 10/26/2022 | 473681 | 1.0 Standard | 15 | Virtual |
| Children Who Are Transgender and the Law - Their Rights, Challenges, and Experiences | 9/16/2022 | 470651 | 3.0 Standard, 1.0 Elimination of Bias | 145 | Hybrid |
Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s Annual Meeting was held on May 18, 2023 and 16 people attended.
The following officers were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024:
Chair: Jennifer Thompson, JLT Law & Mediation
Vice-Chair: Cresston Gackle, Cresston Law LLC
Secretary-Treasurer: Nathaniel Gurol, Fair Contracting Foundation (pending confirmation)
Newly-Nominated Council Member for a two-year term from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025:
- Katie Mathurin, Children’s Law Center of Minnesota
Re-elected Council Members for a two-year term from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025:
- Azure Schermerhorn-Snyder, Taft
- Wendy Watson
Current Council Member serving existing two-year term from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024:
- Julie Friedrich, AdvocaSee, LLC; Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Family Court Guardian ad Litem Program
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This year, the Section focused on incorporating and centering the voices of those with lived experience by inviting and engaging with young adults and organizations which are either led by those with lived experience or center the voices of those with lived experience. The annual summit featured young adults who had directly experienced foster care in Minnesota.
The Section continues to work on advancing BIPOC voices within the profession and will be working to encourage local practitioners and others to attend the National Association of Children’s Counsel conference in Minneapolis this coming August.
Other Section Accomplishment
The Section, through participation at the MSBA Assembly, informally advocated for the MSBA to make it a legislative priority to ban conversion therapy in Minnesota; the MSBA Assembly voted to make it a legislative priority over the recommendation of the Legislative Committee and the Legislature enacted that change this past session.
Submitted By:
Cresston Gackle, Section Chair
Dated June 4, 2023