Advanced Custody and Support Issues in Ohio

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Parenting Factors, Modification, Enforcement, and More
   9:00 - 9:45, Cara L. Santosuosso
   1. Custody/Visitation: Factors That Truly Matter to Courts
   2. When is Modification or Enforcement of Child-Related Decree Provisions Justified?
   3. Parenting Disputes That Judges do Not Want to See
   4. Q&A Session
2. Custody Evaluations: Understanding the Tools and Challenging the Report
   9:45 - 10:30, Corinne N. Ryan
   1. Hiring an Evaluator: Cost/Benefit Analysis
   2. What Goes into a Comprehensive Order
   3. Key Elements and Timeline of an Evaluation 
   4. Understanding the Diagnostic Tools/Commonly Used Tests
   5. Assessing if the Report Meets Professional/Statutory Standards (With Checklist)
   6. Challenging the Expert's Report and Asking the Right Questions
   7. Fighting a Contested Custody Case When Your Client Can't Afford an Evaluation
3. UCCJEA and Relocation Issues in Family Law
   10:45 - 11:15, Ryan P. Nowlin
   1. UCCJEA - Examination of Complex Hypotheticals
   2. Important Factors, Procedures, and Options in the Relocation Case
   3. Overcoming Key Challenges in an International Relocation
   4. What to do if a Parent Flees the State With the Children
4. UIFSA and Complex Child Support Issues
   11:15 - 11:45, Ryan P. Nowlin
   1. Update on Governing Laws, Regulations, and Cases
   2. UIFSA Challenges - Examining Hypotheticals
   3. Hints and Tips for the Child Support Worksheet
   4. Defining Income - Gross vs. Net, Second Jobs, Bonuses, Imputing Income, etc.
   5. Child Support Calculations - Top Mistakes Attorneys Make
   6. Reading Complex Earning Statements (Military, Teachers', etc. - With Examples)
   7. How to Modify Child Support Obligations - Step-by-Step
5. Alienation and Abuse Allegations in Custody Proceedings
   12:45 - 1:30, Cara L. Santosuosso
   1. Alienation: What it is vs. What it isn't and How to Detect it
   2. Proving Parental Alienation - Case Strategy
   3. Fighting Against False Abuse Allegations
   4. Social Services Investigations - When They Happen and What the Reports Mean
   5. Examining Experts and Lay Witnesses in Alienation and Abuse Cases
6. Recent Developments on the Rights of Same Sex and Unmarried Couples: Practical Implications
   1:30 - 2:15, Cara L. Santosuosso
7. Negotiating and Drafting Parenting Plans (With Samples)
   2:30 - 3:30, Sarah J. Decker-Hall
   1. Sample Plan: Legal Custody Provisions, Parenting Schedules, and Miscellaneous Clauses
   2. Alternative Dispute Resolution and Other Useful Provisions
   3. Negotiation Tactics and Creative Solutions for High-Conflict Issues
   4. Top Mistakes: Provisions That Lead to Disputes
   5. Use of Parenting Coordinators and Litigating Disputes About Their Recommendations
   6. Modification of Parenting Plans: Standards and Practice Tips
   7. Sample Plans for Disabled/Special Needs Children, Military Families, and Other Dynamic Situations
8. Legal Ethics
   3:30 - 4:30, Sarah J. Decker-Hall
   1. Attorney Contact With Children
   2. Special Considerations for Mental Health Professionals and GALs
   3. Best Interests of the Child vs. Parents' Best Interests
   4. Child Testimony: Need for Evidence vs. Damage to Child

Accreditation Details:

Sarah J Decker-Hall is a sole practitioner in the Dayton, Ohio area. Ms. Decker-Hall has been an attorney for 20 years and focuses her practice on Family Law. She is the president of the Stanley Z. Greenberg Family Law Forum. She is a member of the Dayton Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association. She earned her B.A. degree from Capital University and her J.D. degree from Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit School of Law.

Ryan P Nowlin is a partner in the law firm of Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP, where his practice is focused on the areas of family law, commercial litigation, and probate litigation. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a nationally recognized group of leading practitioners in the field of family law. Mr. Nowlin is also board certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the practice of family relations law. He represents individuals in every phase of divorce and custody proceedings, and appears in domestic relations and juvenile courts throughout Northeast Ohio. His experience with complex family law matters includes the valuation of assets, the determination of premarital/separate property, the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, and the establishment of appropriate child and/or spousal support obligations. Mr. Nowlin previously served as vice president of Membership for the CMBA, as well as co-chair of the CMBA Family Law Section. He is an associate member of the Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court and a member of the Center for Principled Family Advocacy. Mr. Nowlin earned his B.A. degree from Loyola College in Maryland and his J.D. degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

 

Corinne N Ryan is a partner in the law firm of Kokensparger Ryan Legal Group. She and Mr. Kokensparger are a wife and husband legal team that limit their practice to the fields of family law, adoptions and appeals. Ms. Ryan is a frequent lecturer on family law and adoption issues. She has 20 years of concentrated experience in the field of family law. Ms. Ryan is admitted to practice in Ohio and she is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association. She earned her B.A. degree from John Carroll University and her J.D. degree from Capital University Law School.

Cara L Santosuosso is the founder and owner of Law Offices of Cara L. Santosuosso, LLC in Westlake, where she is recognized as a leading litigator, accomplished practitioner, and skilled negotiator in the area of family law, particularly high-conflict divorce or custody disputes, and other civil and criminal matters. She has engaged in the private practice of law in the areas of family law and civil litigation since 2005. Previously, she served for two years as a judicial attorney in the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals where she worked on cases dealing with administrative law, torts, labor and employment, product liability, medical malpractice, criminal law, and a host of other legal matters. In addition to her skill in the courtroom, Ms. Santosuosso is certified as a mediator, and trained as a collaborative law attorney and parenting coordinator. She has spent most of her legal career ensuring the protection of children, and fighting for the legal rights of children, parents and litigants in many courts and all stages of the litigation process. Ms. Santosuosso earned her undergraduate degree from John Carroll University and her J.D. degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law; and has written and lectured on legal topics relating primarily to issues in family law. She is admitted to the bars of the state of Ohio and the federal courts for the Northern District of Ohio and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Santosuosso is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, West Shore Bar Association, and the Justinian Forum.