California Court of Appeal

Orders of the juvenile court disqualifying certain independent units of the Children-s Law Center of Los Angeles from representing five siblings in dependency proceedings because of purported conflicts of interest are affirmed in part and reversed in part where: 1) the record contained substantial evidence of an actual conflict among four siblings who were all represented by one independent unit of the Center; but 2) another independent unit's representation of one sibling was not improper as there was no material breach in the Center's ethical screens to justify treating the two independent units at issue as a single law firm for conflict purposes.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/10/2007
• Published 07/10/2007

Judges

• MOSK, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Rex S. Heinke and Seth M. M. Stodder, Los Angeles, for Appellant., Merrill Lee Toole, Monrovia, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Minor Zamer G., Aida Aslanian, Glendale, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Minors Naes. H. and Nay. H., Christopher Blake, San Diego, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Minors Joshua E. and Justin E.


• For Appellees:
  
• Raymond G. Fortner, Jr., Los Angeles County Counsel, Tracey Dodds, Principal Deputy County Counsel, for Respondent Department of Children and Family Services.