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Attorney Tara Lattomus represents children in foster care

April 15, 2017

Through her work as a guardian ad litem with the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate, attorney Tara Lattomus is making a difference representing the interests of children in foster care.

Lattomus is with Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott in Wilmington. In her state, all children in foster care are assigned an attorney, and most judges rely heavily on GALs because unlike case workers who have many clients, the GAL is, in most instances, assigned to represent one child or set of siblings. According to Lattomus, it is not a role that should be taken lightly.

Children have the right to meet with their GAL even if family members oppose it, and the communications should be kept confidential as with any other attorney/client relationship. This can get tricky if the child wishes the GAL to take a position that the GAL does not think is in the child's best interest. In those instances, the child should be appointed a separate counsel. What records the GAL needs to obtain and who they need to speak to depends a lot on the age of the child and the circumstances. Once a GAL has some experience, it's relatively easy to determine where their efforts should be focused.

"Every case is unique, and there are happy endings," said Lattomus. "Just before the holidays, two of my clients were adopted by a family of four. I attended the adoption ceremony in the courtroom. Those moments make the tough ones more bearable."

Lattomus' passion is volunteering. She enjoys volunteering for the 6 a.m. shift during the summer, preparing lunch for children who normally rely on school for their meals. She also enjoys volunteering with her daughter at a no-kill animal shelter.

At Eckert Seamans, Lattomus helps clients negotiate hotel and resort management agreements with an eye toward avoiding future disputes and litigation. Her experience allows her to understand the broad range of issues that can arise in the context of both new-build and transitioning properties, and draft agreements that provide her clients with the broadest protections. She represents both large and mid-size management companies, and appreciates that different clients may have different priorities. By working daily with general counsel and other business associates, Lattomus has developed a real-world approach to her practice that provides great value to her clients.

Lattomus has been in the firm's Delaware office since it opened in 2005. Since that office started small, she had the opportunity to practice in a number of areas and continues to keep her diversified practice to this day. She routinely advises clients involved in bankruptcy cases, assists with litigation matters, and counsels local municipalities and authorities on a variety of issues. For more information, go to www.eckertseamans.com.

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