Los_Angeles_Dependency_Lawyers
Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc. (LADL) is a non-profit organization that represents parents in juvenile dependency proceedings in Los Angeles County. A dependency hearing is a court proceeding involving a child, typically in cases of parental abuse or neglect. The organization consists of five separate law firms and an executive office that is headed by Dennis Smeal.
Los Angeles Dependency Court hears an estimated 25,000 cases annually.[1] Los Angeles County has the largest dependency system in the United States of America.[2] LADL provides representation to 97% of the parents in Los Angeles County who have cases in dependency court.[2]
LADL attorneys practice law at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court, located in Monterey Park, California, and the Alfred J. McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center in Lancaster, California. LADL works with attorneys from the Children's Law Center, representing children, and the Los Angeles County Counsel, representing Department of Children and Family Services (Los Angeles County). LADL also employs social workers and investigators.[2] One LADL social worker wrote a book about her experience working for the Department of Children and Family Services (Los Angeles County).[3]