Evaluations

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION and FAQ

Sometimes during a divorce, the parents can’t agree on what is the best parenting plan for the children, both in terms of the time spent with each parent and who has the responsibility for making decisions. The parents or their lawyers can ask that the Court appoint a professional to do an investigation and to give the Court recommendations. This process used to be called “custody evaluation,” later it was called “special child advocate evaluation” and is now called a “child and family investigator” evaluation (C.F.I.). The names differ but the process is still hard to go through and the stakes are high.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT EVALUATIONS

How do I know I need one?
If you and your spouse cannot agree on parenting time and/or decision-making issues even after negotiation or mediation, an evaluation may be appropriate. Ask yourself it the issues are really so important as to warrant going through an evaluation.

Can I ask for an evaluation if I don’t have an attorney?
Yes, the Family Court Facilitator’s Office at the Court will give you the appropriate forms.

Who will be my evaluator?
If you have an attorney, he or she probably has a short list of favorite evaluators. If the attorneys cannot agree on who will perform the evaluation, they can both submit three names to the Court for a final decision.

Will the evaluator interview my children?
Yes, usually the evaluator will talk to the children as well as observe each parent interact with the children. A good evaluator will know how to interpret what they hear and see.

Who pays for the evaluation?
Unless you both agree, the person asking for the evaluation initially pays. Later on, the Court can apportion the fees.

What qualities does a good evaluator have?
A good evaluator should have these qualities (and more)s: experience doing evaluations, expertise in the issues particular to your case, a neutral approach to the issues, good organization, thoroughness, honesty, fairness, thoroughness, an knowledge of applicable law, and an ability to articulate their recommendations to the Court. Not all evaluators are created equal!

How do I prepare for an evaluation?
It’s a good idea to have someone help you prepare for the evaluation. For example, if you feel guilty about your parenting, you might not present yourself in a realistic and positive light. If there is domestic violence, you might feel afraid of asking for what you believe is right. Many people benefit from a check-in regarding what evaluators typically recommend.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ABOUT EVALUATIONS

If you are interested in my doing an evaluation, or helping you prepare for one, please read what some attorneys have said about my work as a C.F.I.

#1: “Sat Tara Kaur Khalsa recently served as the Child and Family Investigator in one of my dissolution of marriage cases. I was extremely impressed by the quality of Ms. Khalsa’s work.

Ms. Khalsa’s investigation was quite thorough. She investigated each of the concerns raised by the parents. This was a highly contentious case, which involved some very serious issues including parental alcohol use, a suicide attempt, behavioral issues on the part of the child, and the impact of introducing a new relationship on the child. Ms. Khalsa took each concern seriously.

It is evident that Ms. Khalsa is well qualified to handle the serious issues my case presented. Her background and experience with family issues is extensive. And, her level of experience was evident in her report to the court. In addition to conducting a thorough investigation, her finds and recommendations were astute and perceptive. She crafted helpful solutions and suggested useful tools for the parties to implement in addressing the tough issues they faced. Most importantly, Ms. Khalsa’s investigation and report were both child-centered, and focused upon the best interests of the child. Ms. Khalsa certainly fulfilled her duties as the Child and Family Investigator by making recommendations as to decision making responsibilities and a parenting time schedule. However, she went a step further by making a variety of recommendations that will hopefully assist the parents with the challenges they face as they co-parent their child following their divorce.

Ms. Khalsa exhibited professionalism throughout her appointment as CFI. She promptly began her investigation once she was appointed, she contacted all collateral sources my client asked her to contact, and she submitted her report in a timely manner.

In addition, she is a very articulate and persuasive expert witness. She explained her recommendations in an understandable way, presenting the foundation and rationale for her conclusions.

I would not hesitate to recommend Ms. Khalsa as a Child and Family Investigator.”

#2: Georgiana Scott, Esq., Boulder Attorney

“I am a practicing family law attorney in Boulder County, Colorado. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Sat Tara Kaur Khalsa for many years. Sat Tara is the epitome of professionalism. Sat Tara is a perceptive and astute observer of human relations. She seems to have infinite patience. She brings understanding to family dynamics which is proved by the results she achieves.

Sat Tara recently completed a Child and Family Investigator Report for me in a highly contentious case. The case called for an infinite level of detail in the investigation and report. Sat Tara’s attention to detail and clear writing style in her report led us to simple adopt her recommendation as the parties’ new Parenting Plan. Sa ttara was able to gain the confidence of each party and instill a sense of trust in each of them. By agreement of the parties, after seeing the CFI report, Sat Tara is now the parenting coordinator and decision maker in this same matter.

I am pleased to recommend Sat Tara for any position to which she aspires, whether Child and Family Investigator, Parenting Coordinator, Decision Maker or therapist.

I am happy to provide a verbal recommendation at any time.”

#3: George Johnson, Esq., Boulder County Attorney

“Ms. Khalsa has asked me to write a letter of recommendation on her behalf. I’m glad to recommend her unhesitatingly.

I’ve know her work for about five years. Our professional acquaintance began when she acted as a Special Child Advocate in a very difficult impacted custody dispute involving one of my clients.

I was very impressed with the quality of her work in that case. She untangled the issues with a high degree of professional insight, and successfully defended her conclusions and recommendations in court before a very experienced judge under the cross examination of one of Boulder’s toughest advocates.

I’ve been involved in cases with her many times since. I’ve found her to be consistent, unbiased, compassionate, insightful, thorough, professional and reasonable about fees.

Over time, her work has held up. Her reports are thorough, well supported and come in on time. Her recommendations are insightful, and her conclusions have proved to have good predictive value.

Best of all, she has a commitment to the best interests of the children she is called upon to protect. In the most difficult cases, she’s been able to find a way to persuade even the most intractable opponents to see common ground around their children’s interests.

Although she doesn’t always recommend what my client wants, I’ve always glad when I see her name as the court-appointed Special Child Advocate, because I know that the children’s best interests in those cases will be competently diagnosed, insightfully considered and professionally presented for the court’s consideration. That’s really all a lawyer can ask.

I am always glad to discuss her qualifications with attorneys or parents interested in engaging her, and would welcome calls from anyone seeking a more tailored individual recommendation.”

#4: “My firm recently worked with Ms. Khalsa who performed two custody and parenting time evaluations. One case was extremely volatile and involved issues of alcoholism and domestic violence, and one was a supplemental evaluation.

I found Ms. Khalsa to be extremely competent and fair. She was able to keep the best interests of the minor children foremost. Her reports were thorough; they investigated the relevant issues in the case and lead the reader to well-supported conclusions and recommendations. In fact, in the supplemental evaluation, her review and critique of the original evaluation, performed by a highly respected team in Fort Collins, was convincing enough to result in a settlement that reflected her recommendations as to legal custody.

She was easy to work with, submitted the evaluation reports on time, and charged reasonably for her services.

When Ms. Khalsa testified in one of these two cases, though she supported a position contrary to our client, her testimony was clear, knowledgeable, and credible. The Judge complimented her appropriate application of C.R.S. 14-10-124 to the case.

I have no hesitation recommending her to other attorneys and hope to work with her again.”

#5: Stephen J. Grubiss, Esq.

“You have asked me to write a letter of recommendation of your services as a child custody evaluator which you might present to other attorneys. I am happy to do so.

As you know, you have toiled long and hard in performing an evaluation for use by the Court, the guardian ad litem, and the parties in a case in which I represent one of the two parties to a contested divorce proceeding in which child custody is the principle issue.

I have found you to be objective, professional, knowledgeable, diligent, meticulous, courteous, pleasant, thorough, and resolute when need be in this difficult case. You kept an open mind from the beginning, seeking out the facts before drawing conclusions. In my view, the conclusions you reached were measured, balanced, well-supported, and appropriate for the best interests of the minor child, even though they did not entirely coincide with the expressed desires of my client. Moreover, rather than assuming an expertise in all matters, you showed an unusual ability to acknowledge an area wherein you did not have special expertise but then to proceed to inform yourself. I believe your testimony in court is effective, credible, capable and persuasive. Finally, your services were promptly and timely performed at which I know to be a most reasonable charge considering all the work you did.

I have no hesitation in recommending you to other attorneys. I have enjoyed working with you and hope to do so again in the future. Should any prospective client of yours have questions they would like to ask me concerning your work, I would certainly be willing to discuss the matter with them.

I wish you continued success in your practice.”

#6: “I would like to thank you for your work on the …. case. This was a very difficult and challenging case since there was extraordinary resistance and hostility from one of the parties. Your professionalism and commitment to fairness to all parties was exemplary. You understand, as I do, that in these matters the welfare of the parties’ child is paramount. Your efforts to perform and balanced and thorough evaluation have gone far to ensure that the child has a loving and stable relationship wit her parents.

Thank you again. I look forward to working with you again.”

#7: “I first observed you in a court proceeding where I was also called as a witness. I was impressed by the calm and confident manner with which you expressed your opinions. I saw you “hold your ground” during comprehensive cross examination.

On the basis of that first impression, I asked you to prepare an evaluation in one of my cases. You responded promptly within the limited time period available.

Your co-written report encapsulated your thorough investigation, contained supporting documentation of your conclusions and followed statutory language. Following the filing of the report, my opposing counsel deposed you for over ten hours. During this long deposition, you remained consistently composed. Your clear and concise replies enabled you to successfully defend your procedures and conclusions.

You performed a valuable service for the child of the parties in this difficult case. I will call you again when the need arises and recommend that other attorneys consider using your services.

#8: “Thank you so much for your recent professional involvement in two of my cases. The excellent quality of your work makes it easy for me to recommend your services to other family law practitioners.

Your professional conduct and objective approach have contributed to positive outcomes in the two cases in which you have had involvement.

I would be pleased to provide you with a positive reference.”

#9 Robert J. Beattie, Denver Attorney

“The purpose of this correspondence is to acknowledge your thorough and thoughtful evaluation you conducted in a recent dissolution of marriage matter. As you can imagine, counsel can be quite apprehensive when the Court appoints an expert of his or her choosing when we did not know you.  We could not have been more impressed and appreciative of the time and effort you spent on this extremely challenging case.

You persisted in your efforts to reach the mother, who did not want to participate in this dissolution of marriage, let alone the CFI investigation.  Once the mother began complying, you investigated her parenting abilities fully and without any bias for her prior non-compliant behavior.  You researched every witness and issue presented to you in order to become informed of this family’s situation and dynamics.  You were timely and communicative with counsel and with the Court. You submitted a thoughtful report that addressed every issue presented to you during your investigation.  Your recommendations were in the child’s best interests.  Finally, your testimony was extremely credible and helpful to the Court and my client.

Should you need references in the future, please do not hesitate to offer myself or my associate, Courtney Cline, as a reference.”