THE FIRM: WHAT'S NEW
Why Some of the Worst Parents Don't Look Bad at All
Ann Gushurst spoke at the February MDIC luncheon regarding "Danger Under the Radar: Why Some of the Worst Parents Don’t Look Bad at All" regarding severely dis-regulated personality disordered parents who, quite frequently, look very good on the surface (easily passing most psychological tests) even though the damage they do to their children and their co-parent is long lasting and serious. MDIC is the Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 by mental health professionals, attorneys, and mediators working in the areas of parental responsibility. Its purpose is to promote professions involved in helping children and parents through the process of divorce.
Our Courts – Family Law
Sheila Gutterman, who is the immediate past chairman of the Colorado Judicial Institute presented "Our Courts - Family Law" to an enthusiastic focus group at the Colorado Bar Association/Denver Bar Association offices. Our Courts is an educational project developed by the Colorado Bar Association and the Colorado Judicial Institute which has reached over 10,000 citizens in Colorado and educated them about the various court systems. This is offered as a free service to the public and part of Gutterman Griffiths’ mission to give back to the community by helping to educate citizens about a range of options for persons facing divorce.
A case that extends children's rights to be parented
Ann Gushurst represents a client in a case that extends children’s rights to be parented. Currently, the law discriminates between legal parents and psychological parents even when, from the eyes of a child, there may be no difference. Men have always been able to claim legal parental rights when they have openly welcomed a child into their home and held out the child as their own. In this new case, that same "holding out" provision in the law has been applied to the partner of an adoptive mother and what really makes this case unique is that the parents involved are lesbian mothers. When this particular child was adopted, Colorado law prohibited same-sex couple adoptions. Although the adoption law has been softened somewhat to allow second parent adoptions, by the time the changes had come about, in this case, a second parent adoption was not an option. Moreover, the second-parent adoption statute requires the first parent to consent via affidavit, which some parents will not do. Now, the "holding out" statute has been applied to allow the same sex partner of a legal parent to claim, under CRS 19-4-105, that she too is the child’s legal parent.
CLE Seminar on Trusts and Divorce
Suzanne Griffiths will be presenting a CLE seminar on Trusts and Divorce on August 11, 2012 for the Family Law Institute, the continuing education extension of the Family Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association. The Family Law Section is a group of over nine hundred lawyers committed to enhancing the practice of family law in the State of Colorado. The Section provides a forum for the education of, and communication among family law practitioners and their staff, judges, elected officials, the state bar association, and members of the public.
Best Family Lawyer in Colorado
Law Week Colorado: Sheila Gutterman has been named Best Family Lawyer in Colorado
People’s Choice, Barrister’s Best 2011
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR TRIAL ADVOCACY
40th ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL SESSION and
University ofColorado Law School
July 23 – August 6, 2011
Karen Steinhauser was chosen as a faculty member for the 40th Anniversary National Session of NITA July 23 – August 6, 2011. Karen was one of only four Colorado members selected to participate in this national training session. The other three, Honorable Christina Habas, Denver District Court Judge; Lorna Candler, Office of the Colorado Attorney General, and Honorable Robbie Barr, a member of JAG who previously served as an appellate judge both in the Circuit Court Appellate Division and by invitation as an Associate Judge in the District Court of Appeals.
NITA is the market leader in custom skills training programs for leading law firms and governmental entities. In the last three years NITA has trained over 7,000 attorneys at nearly 200 professional development programs. Drawing from 40 years of training experience, NITA programs are unmatched in quality and relevance to the profession. NITA is committed to providing all lawyers with access to legal skills training
Experienced Attorneys. Incredible Results.
Gutterman Griffiths has acted upon its sustainability commitment. While legal practices aren't usually considered a prime candidate for green initiatives, Gutterman Griffiths has "walked the talk". Throughout the course of a recent office expansion the firm employed the 3 Rs Recycle, Reuse, and Renew. Whenever possible products were reused including cabinets, bookcases, plumbing fixtures, appliances, lighting fixtures, and millwork. All building materials that could not be reused were recycled to the fullest extent possible.
Primary consideration was given to renewable materials in the selection of all finishes, including; rubber rather than vinyl base, floor tile made of 100% post-consumer waste products rather than VCT, and other decorating choices like low VOC paint. For example, Gutterman Griffiths is the first law firm in Colorado to utilize Interface Flor carpet, an innovative new type of floor covering that is composed of entirely recycled products. The carpet contains neither glue nor tape, which allows it to eliminate virtually all volatile organic compounds (VOC's), thus promoting better indoor air quality and eliminating health risks associated with VOC's. Special attention was paid to the continuing use of Electricity including the use of Motion Sensor lighting to ensure that lights are not being used when employees or clients are not in the offices and the replacement of all conventional fluorescent tubes with green high efficiency lower wattage tubes.
In addition, the total number of fixtures was reduced by approximately 10% to save energy. Daily procedures have been implemented over time to minimize the firms carbon footprint. Every attempt is made to recycle every item possible, including paper, beverage containers, packaging materials, boxes, and even discarded office supplies like binders. We are working on innovative initiatives to make our office even more paperless.
Please join Gutterman Griffiths PC in congratulating all four of its shareholders for being named to the 2011 5280 Magazine SuperLawyers directory. This is the third year in a row that Sheila Gutterman, Suzanne Griffiths, Diana Powell and Ann Gushurst have all been included in the SuperLawyers list, a distinction bestowed on only approximately 5% of Colorado attorneys.