Law Center Plus: The New Practice of Family Law in a Rapidly Changing Society

8:00 to 9:30am Best Practices for Family Law Attorneys I. Changing Society and Changing Practice a. Paternity: Expect 50% of your cases to be a paternity: 48% Florida children born out of wedlock b. Same sex issues: partnerships and children c. Adults over age 50: 25% to 50% d. Rise of Women: 2/3 initiated by women e. Lower Income and Self Represented: Expect a self-represented party on 50% of your cases f. Social Media and Electronics: Impact on the practice and Impact on professionalism II. 17th Judicial Circuit a. Unified Family Administrative Orders on website: http://www.17th.flcourts.org/index.php/rules-and-policies/unified-family-orders b. Local Rules on website: http://www.17th.flcourts.org/index.php/rules-and-policies/localrules c. Division Practices on Website: http://www.17th.flcourts.org/index.php/judges/unifiedfamily d. Family Court as the Emergency Room: A.O. 2008-60-UFC Administrative Order Establishing Procedures for Family Division Emergency Matters on website: http://www.17th.flcourts.org/images/stories/17th_pdf_files/2008-60-UFC.pdf e. Family Law Forms www.flcourts.org/gen public/family/forms rules/ III. Family Court: a. In Criminal Court we see bad people at their best and in Family Court we see good people at their worst. b. Jurisdiction: dissolution of marriage, domestic violence, name change, adoption, paternity c. Complex area of the law: involves contracts, immigration, tax, real property, corporations, agency, torts, and everything else you learn in law school: need at least three mentors d. Self-representation (pro se) i. 65% self-represented both sides ii. 15% lawyer on one side of the case iii. 20% lawyer on both sides of the case e. KNOW YOUR JUDGE. I will employ for the purpose of maintaining the causes confided to me such means only as are consistent with truth and honor, and will never seek to mislead the judge or jury by any artifice or false statement of fact or law IV. Lawyer as Counselor a. Rule 4-2.1 Advisor: In representing a client, a lawyer shall exercise independent professional judgment and render candid advice. In rendering advice, a lawyer may refer not only to law but to other considerations such as moral, economic, social, and political factors that may be relevant to the client\u27s situation. b. Emotional Dissolution of Marriage and Lawyer Selection c. Lawyer Assessment of Case: REALITY and cost/benefit analysis d. TRIAL IS A LAST RESORT-MEDIATION. No one wins: ONE POT V. Procedure Before Substance a. Lawyer as Advocate; Attorney\u27s Fees b. Emergencies and Triage: THEIR TRUTH / TRAUMA SKEWS PERSPECTIVE c. Domestic Violence d. Paternity: Many statutes public policy driven e. Statutes, Case law, Rules VI. List of Attachments a. Reprint permission* i. Emotional Stages of Divorce ii. Administrative Order 2008-60-UFC (Establishing Procedures for Family Division Emergency Matters) iii. Judge\u27s Checklist for Child Emergencies iv. Order Denying Verified Ex Parte Motion for Temporary Injunction to Prevent Removal of Minor Child Or Pick Up Order v. Order Declining to Schedule Emergency/Urgent Hearing vi. Judge\u27s Checklist for Emergencies Not Involving a Child vii. Domestic Violence Seminar Summary viii. Domestic Violence Flow Chart ix. Judge\u27s Checklist for Domestic Violence x. Uncontested Final Hearing Checklist xi. Questions to Be Asked At Uncontested Final Hearing xii. Default Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage (Imputation) xiii. Paternity Top Ten (Now Eleven) *The use of the reprinted materials is for educational purposes. The reprinted materials are primarily from Florida Family Law and Practice, by Judge Renee Goldenberg. Permission to reprint has been provided by JAMES PUBLISHING www.jamespublishing.com 866-72-JAME

Shared Parental Responsibility: Florida Statutes Section 61.13

Utilizing a unique term shared responsibility, the Florida legislature, by enacting Florida Statutes section 61.13(2)(b)(3), has joined the expanding number of states authorizing the elevation of joint custody to a preferred status

Growth inhibition of thyroid follicular cell-derived cancers by the opioid growth factor (OGF) - opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) axis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carcinoma of the thyroid gland is an uncommon cancer, but the most frequent malignancy of the endocrine system. Most thyroid cancers are derived from the follicular cell. Follicular carcinoma (FTC) is considered more malignant than papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most lethal human cancers. Opioid Growth Factor (OGF; chemical term - [Met⁵]-enkephalin) and its receptor, OGFr, form an inhibitory axis regulating cell proliferation. Both the peptide and receptor have been detected in a wide variety of cancers, and OGF is currently used clinically as a biotherapy for some non-thyroid neoplasias. This study addressed the question of whether the OGF-OGFr axis is present and functional in human thyroid follicular cell - derived cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Utilizing human ATC (KAT-18), PTC (KTC-1), and FTC (WRO 82-1) cell lines, immunohistochemistry was employed to ascertain the presence and location of OGF and OGFr. The growth characteristics in the presence of OGF or the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX), and the specificity of opioid peptides for proliferation of ATC, were established in KAT-18 cells. Dependence on peptide and receptor were investigated using neutralization studies with antibodies and siRNA experiments, respectively. The mechanism of peptide action on DNA synthesis and cell survival was ascertained. The ubiquity of the OGF-OGFr axis in thyroid follicular cell-derived cancer was assessed in KTC-1 (PTC) and WRO 82-1 (FTC) tumor cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>OGF and OGFr were present in KAT-18 cells. Concentrations of 10^-6M OGF inhibited cell replication up to 30%, whereas NTX increased cell growth up to 35% relative to cultures treated with sterile water. OGF treatment reduced cell number by as much as 38% in KAT-18 ATC in a dose-dependent and receptor-mediated manner. OGF antibodies neutralized the inhibitory effects of OGF, and siRNA knockdown of OGFr negated growth inhibition by OGF. Cell survival was not altered by OGF, but DNA synthesis as recorded by BrdU incorporation was depressed by 28% in OGF-treated cultures compared to those exposed to sterile water. The OGF-OGFr axis was detected and functional in PTC (KTC-1) and FTC (WRO 82-1) cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that OGF and OGFr are present in follicular-derived thyroid cancers, and that OGF serves in a tonically active inhibitory manner to maintain homeostasis of cell proliferation. These results may provide a biotherapeutic strategy in the treatment of these cancers.</p

Chlamydiatrachomatis and placental inflammation in early preterm delivery

Chlamydiatrachomatis may infect the placenta and subsequently lead to preterm delivery. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between the presence of Chlamydiatrachomatis and signs of placental inflammation in women who delivered at 32 weeks gestation or less. Setting: placental histology and clinical data were prospectively obtained from 304 women and newborns at the Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. C.trachomatis testing of placentas was done retrospectively using PCR. C.trachomatis was detected in 76 (25%) placentas. Histological evidence of placental inflammation was present in 123 (40%) placentas: in 41/76 (54%) placentas with C.trachomatis versus 82/228 (36%) placentas without C.trachomatis infection (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.5). C.trachomatis infection correlated with the progression (P = 0.009) and intensity (P = 0.007) of materno-fetal placental inflammation. C.trachomatis DNA was frequently detected in the placenta of women with early preterm delivery, and was associated with histopathological signs of placental inflammation