Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History

Classic AFCC Combos, Collaborations, and Commonalities (Ret’d California Judge/Consultant Leonard P. Edwards, Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra H. Lehrmann) and What’s WITH Middletown, Connecticut? (Written May 12, Daytime. By Sundown, Another Mom Was Gone: Dead. Supplemented, Published May 18). Updates to follow, not here.(shortlink ends “-9T3,” material written by and moved on Mothers Day 2019, that’s May 12), at under 5,000 words.  With updates on events starting May 12, and some on upcoming post, now 7,500 words.

Re: Writing about Another Mom Gone:

Below, you’ll read, as I said on the post this also came out of, why awareness that an organization such as (the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, a.k.a. “AFCC”) exists and influences/ connects/ conferences/ collaborates with other organizations whose membership includes judges, family lawyers, children’s lawyers, and/or (key employees of) domestic violence advocacy agencies (federally funded) is so essential, yet it’s been left up mostly to lone bloggers (I’m one of how many — a dozen even sustained reporting more than five years in a row? If there are more, where are they?) who will actually talk about it.  We keep talking possibly because we’ve already lost so much, and come close enough to losing our own lives previously that we just can’t or won’t shut up, or BE shut up.

But we have been out-maneuvered and out-sponsored.  We can’t buy the interest of others seeking to make a name for themselves who, in doing so, can’t rock the boat TOO hard….

So, I said…

Taken as a whole, such an organization and others it may network with, while small, can leverage major influence, not always perceptible to those not alerted to its presence, which “not alerting (others) to its presence” habit brings (me) to a second and much more recent set of collaborative/collaborating groups whose “reason for being” and primary output seems to be addressing custody decision-making problems of the family courts.

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My prior posts were on the “second and much more recent set of … groups” “not alerting others to its presence.”

BLOGGER INTERJECTION:  I put this lower down on the post (Sept. 1, 2019), helpful for the overview aspects (2018-2019).  Thought above continues below this interjection..//LGH.

re: ‘TWO HELPFUL LINKS’ — Image from TopRightSidebar, ‘GO TO POSTS’ widget, shows TOC 2019 & 2018 + ‘Key Posts 2012-2017’ (LGH, @ Sept. 1, 2019)

(Continuing thought as written in original post as published…)

Written May 12:

Basically two former judges, one is “former” because she’s now a justice, not a “judge.”

Writing this post brought up the theme of “Inns of Court.”  Justice Debra Lehrmann has been a “Master” member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court in Fort Worth Texas since 2004 (that chapter was organized in only 1992). (Link provided below in context of her professional  activities (“bio blurb”) posted on-line).  {{and, see below: “She is the immediate past president of the Lloyd Lochridge Inn of Court in Austin,” which I information I hadn’t gotten to yet.//LGH}}:

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 19, 2010) – Eighteen esteemed lawyers and judges have formed Central Texas’ second American Inn of Court and named it in honor of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore partner Lloyd Lochridge.  The 64 members of the Lloyd Lochridge American Inn of Court, led by Hon. Robert Pitman, held its first meeting in the United States Courtroom where Judge Yeakel presides on January 19, 2010.  An American Inn of Court is a private organization for members of the legal community – attorneys, judges and scholars – that fosters excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills. Members meet monthly to learn from each other and serve as mentors on those principles and the practice of law. Membership is by application only.

A part of the national American Inns of Court Foundation, the Lloyd Lochridge Inn of Court is the second Central Texas Inn that is named for an attorney from McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore. The other Inn is named for former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Robert W. Calvert, who joined McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore after his retirement from the bench in 1972.

McGinnis Lochridge | Practice Areas” (context, a second American Inn of Court formed in 2010 named after one of their partners). Viewed May 19, 2019

Quick excerpt and two images from that Central Texas Law firm (same website), mostly to show size (See also FN3 & FN4 below), and a second one to show recruiting for applications to this American Inn of Court at UTexas School of Law (in 2016).  Click either image to enlarge as the font will be small.

Our attorneys are drawn from the ranks of top law school graduates, as well as experienced lawyers with a proven record of client-focus and exemplary service. We’re proud of the caliber of attorneys who’ve walked these halls over the years. Familiar names such as Judge Ben Powell, Texas Governor John Connally, Texas State Senator Alvin Wirtz and U.S. Congressman Joe Kilgore have made a difference for McGinnis Lochridge clients, our state and our nation.

“…The Lochridge Inn is a highly selective Inn of the top litigators and judges in Austin…”UTexas Austin School of Law (Sept. 1, 2016) seeking applicants from 2L and 3L students to apply to the Lochridge Inn of Court for its selective opportunities (Note: names which judges one can hang with)…

Also at University of Texas School of Law, Lochridge Father/Son honored:

You can also see promotion of the Inns of Court (3 different ones named here) in “Austin Lawyer, Vol. 23, No. 4, May 2014”  I’ll add images to FN4.

I’m likely to also pursue the “inns of court” theme a little further now that I’ve separated this content to its own post.  I hope it registers with concerned readers who give a damn.  The Inns of Court theme comes up from the background of one of the two judges (Judge retired, but for many years a “Judge-in-Residence” at the California Judicial Council (AOC/CFCC, top state ruling body of the courts in this state)  and Texas State Supreme Court Justice, not retired)

That upcoming post: Conflict of Objectives in the Courthouses of America?  (Inns of Court vs. AFCC | …]. (Shortlink ends “-9X2,” started May 12, not published yet). 

Added May 18 just before publication – Inns of Court /  Another Mom Gone:

I read so many “bio blurbs” of various individuals, the “inns of court” come up periodically as a sign of privilege and accomplishment.  I also remembered from many years ago another point of view on the same, from “TulaneLink.com,” (New Orleans) called “The Inns and Outs of Court” which pointed out the special privilege (and conflicts of interest) the extra-judicial social gatherings can set up, with the “outs” being the independent lawyers (often NOT associated with wealthy law firms) who are NOT invited — and sometimes end up in jail.

Reading this again briefly so many years later, it’s more meaningful, and sheds light on some of the perhaps mimicking behaviors of the AFCC (1960s forward) in setting up similar situations (but — multi-disciplinary and international).  I hope you will at least read two images I’m posting in footnote form.  I’m posting it as “Footnote 3,” (which was a pre-existing blank spot.)

• American Inns of Court were started in large part by a conservative Supreme Court Justice and first piloted (in the 1970s) with oversight and pilot at Brigham Young University, Utah.  US Ninth District (J. Clifford Wallace) (<~~Oct. 2014.  Short read — please read it!)  was also involved, and the AIC’s own History page is less than upfront that he was a) on the Judicial Conference Executive Committee and b) also just so happened to be Mormon, and c) a Nixon appointee. [US Ninth District is the largest District].
• American Inns of Court refers to a private society (foundation) with chapters intentionally modeled after English common law and Inns of Court.
• American Inns of Court Foundation, Inc. (1985ff) had to be approved by (and was) the Judicial Conference of the United States (formerly called “Conference of Senior Circuit Judges,”) which had been formed by an Act of Congress in 1922, under Pres. Wm. Howard Taft (who succeeded Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, and later became Chief Justice in 1921).
• An original concept of the Judicial Conference had to do with federal courts backlog and (as a result) having “at-large” judges who could be transferred to other districts to help with it.  Promotion of “alternative dispute resolution” was featured.  Sound familiar?
• Besides the innate “Anglo-phile” and extra-judicial aspects, there are now new inter-connections between the existing specialty inns of court formed only in the 21st century (2007ff) of which Family Law seems to be one.  We already have extrajudicial, private, tax-exempt associations focused on family law with membership overlaps.  This is not exactly good news from the consumer (and representative government) point of view!

Some fine-print below will detail more of the above bullet points. Definitely food for more thought.

By the way I found American Inns of Court advertising in a 2016 AFCC Monthly Newsletter (Vol. 11 No. 6, June) along with the usual type of reporting (Alienation, Abuse Allegations) and sponsorship by Reunification providers (Stable Paths, Transitioning Families) and the JAYCFoundation.**

The next fine-print section, extended comments with images, represents what’s on my mind regarding those Inns of Court for several days and as I’m getting ready to publish a post written May 12.  (I did post, see sidebar or Archives, separately on May 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16th this past week…)

Consider top section then, a preview of coming posts, followed by the original one below (bottom half, and about half the footnotes) written Mothers’ Day as a natural continuation from from “Apparently Common Family Court Practice,” handling one topic which would otherwise detract from that post’s main points

Published May 12, with its own inset showing one published May 6. We are talking about “Family Court Reform Practices” and strangely absent major missing gaps of information (see also Footnote 2 on “Classic AFCC Collaborations…” post, published May 18).