juvenile law – woodnicklaw.com

Understanding the Adult Protective Services Registry System

In Arizona, a vulnerable adult is statutorily defined through A.R.S. § 46-451(A)(10), which states that: “…an individual who is eighteen years of age or older and who is unable to protect himself from abuse, neglect or exploitation by others because of a physical or mental impairment” [1]. As should be evident from the legal definition, […]

Defending Child Abuse Allegations in Arizona State and Federal Court

Published in the Maricopa Lawyer Family Law Section December 2023 edition. By Sabra Barnett As a former Assistant Federal Public Defender, I have experience representing clients accused of crimes ranging from gun charges and interstate drug trafficking to complex financial matters involving interstate wire transfers. I always appreciated practicing in Federal court because of the tremendous caliber of […]

In the News: Lack of Discovery Revealed in Thousands of DCS Cases

By Woodnick Law Originally reported by 12News on August 21, 2023. On August 21, 2023, a letter from the Division Chief Counsel representing the Department of Child Safety (DCS) went out to all Presiding Judges across the state of Arizona. The letter requested that they “suspend any trials and severance proceedings” set in the next […]

Supreme Court to Revisit Gun Ownership and Domestic Violence Cases

By Mallory Scott Often, in the wake of gun violence, politicians and commentators say that stricter background checks should become enacted to restrict dangerous individuals from owning the weapons used to perpetrate these crimes. States across the country have enacted various laws intended on restricting firearms access. Recently, the Supreme Court accepted an appeal from […]

Understanding Arizona’s Juvenile Emancipation Statutes

By Brad TenBrook and Mallory Scott What motivates a child to become an emancipated minor? The most common example that comes to mind is probably the child actor or performer with substantial assets, hoping to break away from parental interference. However, seeking emancipation does not guarantee clear-cut results, as parents still have a right to […]

Applying Emancipation to Working Minors and “Kidfluencers”

By Mallory Scott Although the issue of emancipation versus parental involvement has evolved to include a new set of circumstances in the social media influencing space, the core issue is the same: If a minor can work in the same capacity as an adult, then how many adult freedoms are they entitled to outside of […]

Bypass: The Future of Abortion Access for One of the Most Vulnerable Populations

By Gregg Woodnick, Mysti Rainwater, LPC, Sheena Chiang, and Isabel Ranney Gregg Woodnick: I was in the earlier stages of my legal career when I represented minors seeking an abortion through the judicial bypass statute. My job was to meet these young women briefly prior to their appearance before the judge in the small room […]

A Position of Trust II: Teachers Facing Prosecution for Failure to Report Child Abuse

By Gregg Woodnick and Isabel Ranney When mandatory reporters fail to report suspected child abuse, they are complicit in letting the abuse continue. Educators, in particular, have such a unique and consistent level of interaction with children that makes them a reliable source of child abuse/neglect reports. Due to this, nearly all states, including Arizona, lists […]