Praemonitus Praemunitus: The Importance of the In-Camera Interview in Child Custody Matters

Praemonitus Praeunitus, or forewarned is forearmed, are words to contend with in detention disputes. As someone who has worked as an Attorney for the Child (AFC) at the New York County Family and Supreme Courts, it often surprises me how little awareness counseling parents have about the importance of the on-camera interview and how little they prepare for clients for this. If the attorneys hope to get the best outcomes for their clients in custody battles, it is important to understand what goes on in these confidential meetings between the attorney and the children.

In their struggle to “win” family disputes, the negative impact on the key parties to the case, the children, often goes unnoticed by their parents. Fortunately, the court always keeps an eye on the children. The assignment of an AFC is the most important tool in the court’s toolbox, but the on-camera interview comes a close second in importance.