Attorney Beth Padilla was chosen as the first attorney to be featured in the Office of the Child's Representative's quarterly newsletter section entitled, "Meet an OCR Attorney." A portion of the article is re-published below:
"Beth Padilla practices in the Sixth and Twenty-Second Judicial Districts in Colorado. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and New Mexico.
Q: Why did you choose to practice child welfare law?
A: I studied juvenile and family law in law school and was interested in the subject matter. However, I did not practice child welfare law until I relocated from Denver to Durango, Colorado and opened a firm with my husband, Paul Padilla. I decided to contact OCR on the advice of a mentor and judge. It made sense to me that I might be able to help kids in southwest Colorado because I am bilingual in English and Spanish and have an immigration background.
Q: What has been the most rewarding moment for you while working with
children and families in the dependency and neglect system?
A: One of the first D&N cases I received was a family of three young children. The children were removed from one foster home and placed into another based on allegations of abuse. One of the kids, aged six, was asked by a caseworker who the child would contact if he felt unsafe and he responded that he would call his GAL. I was so excited that he not only remembered me but also would turn to me if he felt unsafe in his new placement.
Q: What drives you to continue in this line of work?
A: I am driven to continue with child welfare because I really think I can
help the kids in these cases. The kids in dependency and neglect cases need an adult they can talk to and that is looking out for them. I try to be that
adult."
"Beth Padilla practices in the Sixth and Twenty-Second Judicial Districts in Colorado. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and New Mexico.
Q: Why did you choose to practice child welfare law?
A: I studied juvenile and family law in law school and was interested in the subject matter. However, I did not practice child welfare law until I relocated from Denver to Durango, Colorado and opened a firm with my husband, Paul Padilla. I decided to contact OCR on the advice of a mentor and judge. It made sense to me that I might be able to help kids in southwest Colorado because I am bilingual in English and Spanish and have an immigration background.
Q: What has been the most rewarding moment for you while working with
children and families in the dependency and neglect system?
A: One of the first D&N cases I received was a family of three young children. The children were removed from one foster home and placed into another based on allegations of abuse. One of the kids, aged six, was asked by a caseworker who the child would contact if he felt unsafe and he responded that he would call his GAL. I was so excited that he not only remembered me but also would turn to me if he felt unsafe in his new placement.
Q: What drives you to continue in this line of work?
A: I am driven to continue with child welfare because I really think I can
help the kids in these cases. The kids in dependency and neglect cases need an adult they can talk to and that is looking out for them. I try to be that
adult."
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