Rep. Dubitsky Urges Committee to Prohibit Address Disclosure for Pro Bono Lawyers

HARTFORD – At a public hearing of the General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee, State Rep. Doug Dubitsky (R-47) testified on behalf of legislation that would encourage attorneys to represent abused and neglected children without charging a fee.

By his testimony for HB-5636, AN ACT PROHIBITING THE DISCLOSURE OF THE RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES OF CERTAIN ATTORNEYS, Rep. Dubitsky seeks to prevent the home addresses for those attorneys who provide pro bono legal services in one or more juvenile cases from being disclosed to the public.

Under current law, the nondisclosure of residential addresses includes judges, Department of Children and Families workers, attorneys who represent the state in a criminal prosecution, attorneys employed by the Public Defender’s office, police and firefighters, and others. HB-5636 would add to that list, attorneys who represent abused and neglected children in juvenile court.

Dubitsky explained that some of his colleagues have chosen not to take on these pro bono cases out of concern about possible retribution against their families from disgruntled litigants in these heart wrenching cases, many of whom are incarcerated felons and heavily involved with illegal drugs.

“Everyone else involved in those cases is protected except the attorney volunteering to represent the child for free. If they were paid, they would be protected. If it were harder for the felons to find out where the attorneys and their children lived, more of my colleagues would volunteer to take on those cases,” he said. “HB-5636 would encourage top quality attorneys to take on tough child abuse and neglect cases without costing anyone a penny.”