By Brad Jenkins (JD ’13)

In 2008, our client gave birth to her son. She was 19 years old. That same year, our client was arrested for a crime for which she was later acquitted. She was also in an abusive relationship with the father of her child, who was convicted of assault and battery against her. After her charge was resolved, DCF became involved because of allegations of neglect. Our client did not have stable housing, was moving from place to place, and did not have a high school diploma. Due to her difficult circumstances, she voluntarily assented to a guardianship for her son with the paternal grandmother acting as a guardian.