Sometimes mountains can be moved. All it takes is one person to spark a little cooperation and creativity.
A couple of months ago, during some committee work on Title 26 family guardian ad litem (GAL) issues, the Administrative Office of the Courts was made aware of a great need for quality education on how family law GALs should screen for domestic violence issues in their cases. It was suggested that all 39 counties should be able to offer their family law GALs a training video as part of the Title 26 GAL certification training. However, there was no money, no videographer and no project manager to make that happen.
Many of us would have put off the project. But not Margaret Fisher of AOC Court Services. Fisher doesn’t shy away from a challenge and she thinks “outside of the box.”
Fisher took the initiative to contact the Gender and Justice Commission to inquire about funding a professional videotape production. She received tentative authorization for funding, but the amount authorized would only cover 20% of the average market cost, based on standard pricing.
Completely undeterred, Fisher called upon the KCBA for a project manager. She laid out the funding challenges and also explained that the money from the Gender and Justice Commission had to be expended by the end of the AOC fiscal year or it would be forfeited. That meant the project had to be completed in 35 days. Persuaded by Fisher’s position that a true need for the project existed throughout the state, the KCBA agreed to have the CLE Department manage the project.
Fisher and the KCBA contacted a leading national expert, Dr. Anne Ganley, with a three-part request. We requested: 1) that she prepare the presentation specifically for family law GAL training; 2) that she cut her speaking fee by 50 to 75 percent; and 3) that she be ready for filming in front of a live audience within two weeks.
Dr. Ganley not only agreed to our request, she also offered her guidance for implementing the information at the county level. She prepared very helpful written materials and arranged to have the Domestic Violence Superior Court Bench book available over the Web for family law GALs and the public as well.
The next step was to find a professional videographer. Prolumina Trial Technologies had donated filming assistance for KCBA Community Legal Services in the past, so there was concern about asking it for too much. Fisher’s enthusiasm, however, was contagious. Not only did Prolumina happily agree to film the segment at cost, it donated full editing and made 40 copies of the DVD for the AOC and the county GAL registry managers — all on a “rush” order basis.
All that was needed was a venue. Fisher contacted Seattle University which stepped in to provide a classroom, audio-visual equipment and a sound system. The project came together at lightning speed and was executed perfectly. All 39 counties received a free, professional training video, featuring a highly respected national expert, to use in their family law GAL certification training.
So, how did five complex entities and one very busy national expert come together in such a short time to complete a complex project to benefit all 39 counties? It was simply an infectious “can do” attitude that started with Margaret Fisher.
Please join the KCBA in thanking Margaret Fisher at AOC Court Services, Dr. Anne Ganley, the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission, the KCBA Continuing Legal Education Department, Prolumina Trial Technolo-gies and Seattle University for providing a truly valuable educational resource for family law GAL certification training.
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