Attorney for the Child Violated Ethical Duty When He Advocated for Result That Was Contrary to Child’s Expressed Wishes

In Matter of Kleinbach v Cullerton, --- N.Y.S.3d ----, 2017 WL 2491351, 2017 N.Y. Slip Op. 04641 (4th Dept., 2017) the Appellate Division, inter alia, agreed with the father that the initial Attorney for the Child (AFC) violated his ethical duty to determine the subject child’s position and advocate zealously in support of the child’s wishes, because that AFC advocated for a result that was contrary to the child’s expressed wishes in the absence of any justification for doing so. It held that there are only two circumstances in which an AFC is authorized to substitute his or her own judgment for that of the child: ‘[w]hen the [AFC] is convinced either that the child lacks the capacity for knowing, voluntary and considered judgment, or that following the child’s wishes is likely to result in a substantial risk of imminent, serious harm to the child. (Matter of Swinson v. Dobson, 101 AD3d 1686, 1687 quoting 22 NYCRR 7.2[d][3] ), neither of which was present here. In addition, although an AFC should not have a particular position or decision in mind at the outset of the case before the gathering of evidence”(Matter of Carballeira v. Shumway, 273 A.D.2d 753, 756; see Matter of Brown v. Simon, 123 AD3d 1120, 1123), the initial AFC indicated during his first court appearance, before he spoke with the child or gathered evidence regarding the petitions, that he would be substituting his judgment for that of the child.