This case really upset all of the lawyers in our office.  A DODD removal is serious and should only be used in emergency situations.  As a result, some lawyers who are not as aggressive as our lawyers believe that there is nothing you can do at a DODD removal hearing in New Jersey because the judge will always go along with whatever DYFS/DCPP says.  This clearly is not the case.  We have had many cases where we were able to win the DODD hearing hearing get the children back.

Our attorneys hear all the time, “I didn’t do anything wrong, why do I need an attorney?”.  This case makes it clear that you don’t need to do anything to get your children taken away.  In this case, the simple fact of having a criminal record was enough to get the children removed.  If the parents had handled the DODD hearing wrong, the children may have been placed in foster care for a lengthy period of time.  Luckily, that didn’t happen to then but don’t let this happen to you!