In a word, this attorney is INCOMPETENT! Please immediately ask the courts for another attorney if this person is assigned to your family case.
I recently had this attorney assigned to my case. My case was very straight-forward and did not involve any conditions that would warrant any concerns. Basically, we had two parents who loved their child but had a difference of opinion on how much time each wanted to spend with the child and how much say each of us should have in decision making. This attorney bring much shame to this profession and lets down the people of the state of Colorado and the legal system altogether. Celia Harned did all but act in the best interest of our child.
For one, she reported the child's name incorrect in the final draft. Celia Harned stated what would be the conditions as far as visitation directly to me and then wrote the terms in the final draft INCORRECT and when this was brought to her attention, she responded, "I'm sorry, that was a mistake". Celia Harned misquoted and even omitted remarks made by me and included in the final draft as statements of fact the remarks made by the other party. There were no opportunities given to refute the allegations made by the other party. This created a situation where she had to create an addendum to the original draft, because she refused to change the initial draft, probably due to her laziness, which, in turn, cost me more money as the other party's cost was paid for by the state.
The gross negligence of the facts of my case and the evidenced incompetence of this attorney at this point led me to file a motion to dismiss her from my case. Understanding that I had to be very articulate and produce sound reasons as to why this CFI needed to be dismissed from my case, I did my research and cited directly from the Chief Justice Directives reasons for the dismissal of Celia Harned from my case. Unfortunately, my plea fell on the deaf ears of the court. The judge would dismiss my motion prior to the hearing giving a rather generic excuse stating "50% of parties are unhappy with the findings." And based on my research, I read that the Chief Justice Directives will listen to all and any complaints regarding the appointment of Child and Family Investigators to a case. The accountability system has failed also as the only way to address the issues caused by "the arm of the court" is to file an appeal which costs more money just to bring about fairness and equity to my case.
Here is the link to this document so that you can read it yourself and be prepared if Celia Harned is ever assigned to your case: http://74.125.95.132/search? Q=cache: 4m83Vfz-GSwJ: coloradochildrep.org/images/uploads/attachments/D_N_Flow_Charts_Timeline_and_Statutes. Pdf denver child and family investigator Chief Justice Directives 04-05,04- 06, and 04-08&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us/docs/ChiefJusticeDirective_04-08. Pdf
Please pay special attention to the duties of a CFI.
This is the document I found during my research and cited the following as a violation in my case:
Termination of appointed Child and Family Investigator based on Chief Justice Directives 04-05,04- 06, and 04-08, as subsequently amended, and with the requirements of the Directive Concerning Court Appointments of Child and Family Investigators Pursuant to C.R.S. 14-10-116.514-10-116.5, c.R.S. JDF1318 (ORDER APPOINTING CHILD AND FAMILY INVESTIGATOR)
1) Under the Colorado CFI standards, I believe the appointed Child and Family Investigator violated the general principle 2: THE CFI SHALL MAINTAIN OBJECTIVITY
2) I believe the CFI violated one of the duties of a child and family investigator - THE CFI SHALL COLLECT DATA AND CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW THE CFI TO PROVIDE COMPETENT OPINIONS.
3) I also believe the CFI was not sensitive to the separate interests, rights, wishes and concerns of the BOTH parents and other parties in a case. She ignored the position of influence she is in that affects my future with my child. I believe in my case, based on the inaccuracies and omission of my concerns in the report, the CFI did not exercise her obligation according to CFI standard II, which states the following: There are times when objectivity is difficult to maintain and the child and family investigator, through no fault of his or her own, simply cannot set aside a bias or feelings that occasionally develop when working with challenging parties or high conflict families. When this occurs the CFI should request removal from the case.
4) I believe the CFI has violated fairness to BOTH parties as stated in the Standard VIII of the Orders Appointing Child and Family Investigator and Chief Justice Directive which states:
a. A CFI must be careful to assure both fairness and the appearance of fairness, allowing the parties relatively equal and comparable opportunities to present their perspectives.
I wish to ask the court to recognize this as an official complaint and comply with the Orders Appointing Child and Family Investigator which state the following: The court shall appoint a qualified CFI and shall monitor any complaints concerning that person's services and If issues are raised concerning competency or any other concerns, the court should inquire and provide an opportunity to remedy any unethical or inappropriate conduct.
In conclusion, CELIA HARNED is INCOMPETENT and did not act in my child's best interest. Please ask the courts for another CFI or alternate methods to resolve your family case. I have learned from experience and wish to inform and warn others in an effort to avoid my mistake.
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