This is a webcast of the live San Francisco session.Why you should attend
An estimated 80% of family law litigants are self-presented, and the statistic is higher for survivors of domestic violence. Thus, low-income clients are in great need of your pro bono help. Attend this free PLI program and volunteer with your local legal services agency to represent low-income family law litigants in need. With a limited time commitment, you can help obtain essential legal protections needed for low-income families.
What you will learn
Motions Practice in Family Law Cases provides an overview of the procedural steps to obtaining immediate orders (including judicial counsel forms, family law hearings, etc) and how to handle family law court hearings.
Using California Family Law Judicial Council Forms provides a detailed summary of using California Judicial Council forms in family law motions – from filing a Request for Order or filing an Answer to obtaining complete and enforceable Orders After Hearing.
The program will also generally discuss working with low-income clients and domestic violence survivors and will include a mock client interview to illustrate best practices in this area.
Who should attend
Any California licensed attorney interested in providing pro bono assistance to low-income family law cases (whether limited scope family law matters or full representation in a dissolution matter). This training is designed for new attorneys and attorneys who are interested in transitioning to family law practice.
PLI Group Discounts
Groups of 4-14 from the same organization, all registering at the same time, for a PLI program scheduled for presentation at the same site, are entitled to receive a group discount. For further discount information, please contact membership@pli.edu or call (800) 260-4PLI.
PLI Can Arrange Group Viewing to Your Firm
Contact the Groupcasts Department via email at groupcasts@pli.edu for more details.
Cancellations
All cancellations received 3 business days prior to the program will be refunded 100%. If you do not cancel within the allotted time period, payment is due in full. You may substitute another individual to attend the program at any time.
All times are P.S.T.9:00
Program Overview and Introductions
Stephanie E. Bilinski, Elizabeth Hom
9:15
Working with Low-Income Clients and Domestic Violence Survivors
- Working with low-income clients and domestic violence survivors
- Barriers of poverty, impact on representation, and solutions
Stephanie E. Bilinski
10:15 Preparing Forms: Request for Order - Forms and Procedure
- Overview of available remedies
- Overview of CA family law Judicial Council motions forms (including Request for Order, Income and Expense Declaration)
- Overview of procedure
Rebecca Louie, Dia Montecillo
11:15 Networking Break
11:30 Preparing for Hearing: Client Interview and Preparation for Representation
- Conducting client interview in preparation of hearing representation
- Mock client interview
- Preparing for and reviewing Family Court Services reports
- Witnesses and supplemental evidence gathering
Janice Cho
12:30 Hearing Practice: Request for Order and Domestic Violence Prevention Act Restraining Order
- Handling a hearing – arguments, questioning parties and witnesses
- Possible hearing results
- Preparing and obtaining safe and enforceable Orders After Hearing
Josanna Berkow, Sharon M. Braz
1:30 Adjourn
Co-Chair(s)
Stephanie E. Bilinski ~ Family Law Supervising Attorney, Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco
Elizabeth A Hom ~ Director of Access Programs, Alameda County Bar Association
Speaker(s)
Josanna Berkow ~ Superior Court Commissioner (Retired), Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
Sharon M. Braz ~ Certified Specialist in Family Law, Blum, Braz & Gibbs LLP
Program Attorney(s)
PLI makes every effort to accredit its Live Webcasts. Please check the CLE Calculator above for CLE information specific to your state.
PLI's Live Webcasts are approved for MCLE credit (
unless otherwise noted in the product description) in the following states/territories: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho*, Illinois, Indiana
1, Iowa*, Kansas*, Kentucky*, Louisiana, Maine*, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire*, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York
2, Ohio
3, Oklahoma, Oregon*, Pennsylvania
4, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia
5, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming*.
*PLI will apply for credit upon request.
Arizona: The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE activities for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirement.
Arkansas and Oklahoma: Audio-only live webcasts are not approved for credit.
1Indiana: Considered a distance education course. There is a 6 credit limit per year.
2New York: Newly admitted attorneys may not take non-transitional course formats such as on-demand audio or video programs or live webcasts for CLE credit. Newly admitted attorneys not practicing law in the United States, however, may earn 12 transitional credits in non-traditional formats.
3Ohio: To confirm that the live webcast has been approved, please refer to the list of Ohio’s Approved Self Study Activities at http://www.sconet.state.oh.us. Online programs are considered self-study. Ohio attorneys have a 6 credit self-study limit per biennial compliance period. The Ohio CLE Board states that attorneys must have a 100% success rate in clicking on timestamps to receive ANY CLE credit for an online program.
4 Pennsylvania: A live webcast may be viewed individually or in a group setting. Credit may be granted to an attorney who views a live webcast individually. There is a 4.0 credit limit per year for this type of viewing. A live webcast viewed in a group setting receives live participatory credit if the program is open to the public and advertised at least 30 days prior to the program. Live webcasts viewed in a group setting that do not advertise at least 30 days prior the program will be considered "in-house", and therefore denied credit.
5Virginia: All distance learning courses are to be done in an educational setting, free from distractions.
Running time and CLE credit hours are not necessarily the same. Please be aware that many states do not permit credit for luncheon and keynote speakers.
Note that some states limit the number of credit hours attorneys may claim for online CLE activities, and state rules vary with regard to whether online CLE activities qualify for participatory or self-study credits. For more information, refer to your state CLE website or call Customer Service at (800) 260-4PLI (4754) or email: info@pli.edu.
If you have already received credit for attending some or the entire program, please be aware that state administrators do not permit you to accrue additional credit for repeat viewing even if an additional credit certificate is subsequently issued.