A Voice for the Vulnerable
Providing compassionate, effective, and highly skilled representation to children as Guardian Ad Litem.
Children deserve to have an attorney who will develop a relationship with them, fight for their best interest, and give them a voice. As stated in Rule 8:6 of the Rules of the Virginia Supreme Court, The Child Advocate Law Firm PLLC can be counted on to to “vigorously represent the child, fully protecting the child’s interest and welfare.”
Morgan Cox
Morgan Cox formed The Child Advocate Law Firm PLLC in 2017, a firm dedicated to the representation of children as guardian ad litem. Ms. Cox previously practiced family law in both Northern Virginia and Northern California. She has received recognition for her skills by repeatedly being selected as a Rising Star and a Super Lawyer in Virginia Super Lawyers Magazine. Ms. Cox authored the Guardian ad litem Practice Chapter in the Virginia CLE published book Juvenile Law and Practice. She has also earned the distinction of becoming a child welfare specialist through the National Association of Counsel for Children.
Danielle Wingfield (Of Counsel)
Danielle’s deep commitment to child advocacy work led her to pursue a career in the field of law. Danielle began her legal career assisting families and children at the Jeanette Lipman Family Law Clinic in Richmond, Virginia. Working with the clinic gave her valuable experience as she litigated cases relating to foster care, divorce, custody, visitation, domestic violence, public benefits, housing, children in need of services, and education, which were heard in the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Courts in Richmond and Chesterfield, Virginia. During her time at the clinic, Danielle had the privilege of serving as the understudy of Dale Cecka, Esquire, co-author of the 2018 edition of Virginia Practice, Family Law: Theory, Practice, and Forms, one of the major authorities for the practice of family law in Virginia. While under her tutelage, Danielle learned the practice of law and mastered the skills necessary to be effective as a trial attorney.
Sophy Kron
Since the beginning of her legal career, Sophy has concentrated on helping families and children in need of assistance during times of adversity. During law school, she completed a judicial internship in D.C. Superior Court’s Family Court, and several internships that focused on providing legal services to immigrants and victims of domestic violence in Washington, DC and Brooklyn, New York. She also participated in a year-long domestic violence law clinic. These experiences solidified her commitment to providing a voice for vulnerable populations.
Corry Andrews
Corry has worked to generate positive change and long term impact for children and families for over thirty years. Before law school, she served as an Americorps (formerly VISTA) volunteer at the Shelter for Help in Emergency in Charlottesville, where she developed a court advocacy program and a local safe home network for victims of intimate partner violence. During law school, Corry interned at the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York and the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, where she prepared witnesses, some of whom were victims of crime, and practiced trial advocacy skills alongside seasoned litigators. After law school, Corry prosecuted juvenile delinquency cases in Bronx Family Court as an Assistant Corporation Counsel, litigating both felony and misdemeanor matters. Uniquely positioned to indirectly assist juveniles in the criminal justice system, she worked with defense attorneys to find appropriate family placements for juveniles in lieu of incarceration.
Guardian Ad Litem
Put simply, a guardian ad litem is an attorney appointed by the Court to represent a child’s best interests. Judges are routinely required to make critical decisions related to children such as when and how long a child will be removed from their home, who is allowed access to a child, and what custodial schedule will be put in place for a child. The decisions made in Court every day have a lifetime of consequences for the children involved. The Child Advocate Law Firm is committed to giving children a voice and being part of the solution to restore hope and dreams in children who find themselves in the middle of a court dispute.
Resources for Your Journey
Co-parenting Classes
It is mandatory that all parties to custody and visitation cases attend a co-parenting class. Locally, the Mediation Center of Charlottesville offers a co-parenting class. Additionally, the Supreme Court of Virginia has provided a list of providers...
Spare the Child
This is a Virginia State Bar production and is a collection of wisdom from experts in the field of family law. https://www.uptoparents.org/showvideo.aspx?videoid=45&language=1
Foster Care Timeline
This visual of the foster care timeline can be a helpful tool for everyone who is involved in dependency cases. Timeline and Related Forms
Notice and Right to Be Heard for Foster Parents and Relative Caregivers
This pamphlet outlines the notice requirements and identifies and explains roles of the people who will be present in court. Notice and Right to Be Heard
Our Family Wizard
Our Family Wizard is a website that “offers divorced or separated parents an array of tools to easily schedule child custody and track parenting time, share important family information, manage expenses as well as create an accurate, clear log of divorce...
A Handbook for Parents and Guardians in Child Dependency Cases
This handbook was created to help explain the court process to parents and guardians who are involved in foster care cases. Being involved in the court system can be very overwhelming and confusing. There are many attorneys involved and numerous court appearances. ...