It surveys thousands of court cases statutes state bar ethics codes attorney general opinions and model codes regarding ethical constraints in family and dependency proceedings the book not only analyzes ethical rules in terms of the chronology of these proceedings it also surveys those principles for each of the primary participants childrens counsel parents counsel government attorneys and judges. Legal ethics in child custody and dependency proceedings a guide for judges and lawyers william wesley patton this book provides the first fully annotated discussion of the ethical universe surrounding state mandated and private legal disputes involving the custody and best interest of children. 0521853176 legal ethics in child custody and dependency proceedings a guide for judges and lawyers by william wesley patton excerpt introduction it is known that approximately 43 percent of marriages in america end in divorce1even though millions of our childrens lives are dramatically affected by the family law child custody system the . This 2006 book provides a fully annotated discussion of the ethical universe surrounding state mandated and private legal disputes involving the custody and best interest of children it surveys thousands of court cases statutes state bar ethics codes attorney general opinions and model codes regarding ethical constraints in family and dependency proceedings. It surveys thousands of court cases statutes state bar ethics codes attorney general opinions and model codes regarding ethical constraints in family and dependency proceedings the book not only analyzes ethical rules in terms of the chronology of these proceedings it also surveys those principles for each of the primary participants childrens counsel parents counsel government attorneys and judges