In
this exciting decade, the CLO has evolved to provide a new standard
of service to the legal and child-services community. The CLO’s
menu of services includes the following: course instruction in
children’s law, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) clinic
presentations for the bar, and training for new family court
judges, solicitors, public defenders, and Guardian ad Litems.
The CLO’s attorneys have prepared manuals for just about every type
of children’s case, and they provide training for DSS, DJJ, and
other child-service workers who appear in the family court. CLO
attorneys routinely take calls from practicing attorneys to discuss
and research tough legal issues.
Harry Davis was recently appointed by Dean Burnele Powell to serve
as the new director of the CLO. Harry has extensive experience in
both the administration of children’s programs and the day-to-day
aspects of practicing children’s law. He previously served as the
director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, where he is
credited with reforming and modernizing South Carolina’s system of
community and institutional services for delinquent youth. As
director of DJJ, Harry strongly emphasized
community-based alternative programs, and he was instrumental in
the establishment of the state’s network of Marine Institute and
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Wilderness programs. Since 1989, he
has practiced family law in Columbia, including representation of
children in juvenile delinquency and child protection cases. He
also represented the Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed
Children. Harry has chaired the Governor’s Juvenile Justice
Advisory Council since 1999, and he is South Carolina’s
representative on the President’s National Juvenile Justice
Advisory Council.
Taron B. Davis has also recently joined the CLO as its resource
attorney in the area of child protection. Taron previously served
as chief attorney for the Richland County DSS, where she
represented the agency in child abuse and neglect proceedings. She
has also served as an assistant Richland County public defender
representing children in delinquency cases. Taron comes to the CLO
from her private practice in Columbia. She has a wealth of
knowledge and experience, and she is available to provide technical
assistance to attorneys with questions.
An example of CLO excellence: Taron recently teamed with Blanche
Richey to teach the “Nuts and Bolts of Family Court Appointments”
CLE clinic. Blanche is the CLO’s juvenile justice resource
attorney; she previously represented children as an assistant
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in Richland County. Participants in the CLE rated their
presentation as excellent and offered such comments as “best CLE
seminar I’ve attended since admission to the bar in 1980,” and “the
speakers were well-versed and informative.”
The legal staff also includes Charles Phipps, the CLO’s resource
attorney in the area of criminal child abuse. Charles provides
assistance to solicitors and law enforcement officers and
coordinates the Finding Words forensic interviewing training
program. Additionally, Lillie Hart, a part-time attorney and
trainer, delivers courtroom training for child protection staff.
CLO attorneys have more than 75 years of combined experience in
children’s law!
How can the Children’s Law Office help you or your organization?
Call 803-777-1646 or visit the CLO Web site at
http://childlaw.sc.edu and let
us know.■
The Children’s Law Office is funded in part by
the South Carolina Bar Foundation.
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