Attorney
608-821-8210
jsperling-newton@law4kids.com

Judy is committed to social justice and is an ardent children’s rights advocate. She is an experienced guardian ad litem for abused or negected children. She practices in the areas of adoption, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, child protection, and parentage for same-sex partners.

In 1988, the Center for Public Representation recognized her for her outstanding public service by an attorney, and in 2004 she was awarded the U.S. Congressional “Angel of Adoption,” which recognizes and honors the good work of individuals who have enriched the lives of children through adoption.

Judy is the author of Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption, and the juvenile chapter of the Guardian Ad Litem Handbook, both published by the State Bar of Wisconsin. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of child protection and assisted reproduction. Judy is a member and past president of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and is the director of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Attorneys.

Education

Judy received her law degree cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1981. She is a graduate of Indiana University and received her master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.

Personal

Judy and her husband, Bruce, are the parents of three children, two of whom are adopted, although she can’t always remember which two. She is the adoring grandmother of four grandchildren.

Areas of Practice

Adoption
Advanced reproductive technology
LGBT issues

Attorney
608-821-8211
cgapen@law4kids.com

Carol brings patience, caring, creativity and an incisive mind to her practice. She has been involved with issues affecting children and families for many years, first as a drug and alcohol counselor, a hospital social worker, a child protective services worker, and since 1988, as an attorney.

Professional Activities

Carol writes and presents frequently about child related issues to attorneys, grandparents, foster parents, social workers and others. She has authored briefs in the United States and Wisconsin Supreme Courts, including an amicus brief supporting grandparents in the Troxel case. She has also worked though the legislature and the courts to develop laws to protect and nurture children. Carol has been a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys since the early 1990s, and she is a charter member of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Attorneys. She is also a member of TEMPO, a group for professional women.

Carol received the Angel of Adoption award in 2007, a national award honoring her outstanding advocacy in adoption and foster care issues.  In 2011 she was named the Woman of the Year by the Wisconsin Law Journal.

Carol is a founder of Adoptions of Wisconsin, Inc. and serves on its board of directors. She is also a founder, owner and officer of The Surrogacy Center, LLC.

Education

Carol earned her law degree cum laude in 1988 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1968.

Personal Interests

When she is not practicing law, Carol enjoys accompanying her dogs to the dog park and exploring the outdoors. She and her husband, Gary, have three grown sons.

Areas of Practice

Adoption
Child custody, placement and support
Guardianships
Grandparents’ rights
Foster parents’ rights
LGBT issues
Surrogacy/assisted reproduction

Attorney
608-821-8212
lbodi@law4kids.com

Lynn is a creative litigator and strategist who devotes her skills to protecting the rights of children. She is persistent and creative in finding legal solutions for families. She believes that the law should provide solutions, not roadblocks.

Professional Activities

Lynn frequently speaks, and occasionally writes on legal issues affecting children. She regularly presents to Wisconsin lawyers, as well as to national groups. At the University of Wisconsin Law School, Lynn has also lectured on family law, trial advocacy and general practice. She has written for such publications as Adoptive Families, Adoption Factbook and Adoption Law: Practice and Procedure in the 21st Century.

The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys was founded in 1987 to promote the highest quality in legal representation pertaining to adoption. Lynn is proud to have served the academy as trustee and vice president. She is also a charter member of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Attorneys.

In 2011, she was awarded the U.S. Congressional “Angel of Adoption,” which recognizes and honors the good work of individuals who have enriched the lives of children through adoption.

Lynn is an officer and board member of Adoptions of Wisconsin, Inc. She is also a founder, owner and officer of The Surrogacy Center, LLC. Her activities with these organizations highlight her belief in providing a high level of service.

Education

Lynn graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with Honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, majoring in Communication Arts and French. She received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1987.

Community Service

Lynn is a member of Madison Horizons Rotary. She also serves on the advisory committee of the Madison Community Orchestra.

Personal Interests

Lynn and her husband have two active sons who keep them busy with a variety of sports. Sometimes, she finds time to work on her knitting. Lynn also enjoys walking, usually with the family’s labrador retriever. She is also a fair violinist, who plays with the Madison Community Orchestra and the teen choir at church.

Areas of Practice

Adoption
Assisted reproductive technology
Child custody, placement and support
Divorce and dissolution
Guardianships
Grandparents’ rights
Foster parents’ rights
LGBT family law

Attorney
608-821-8202
jaquiroga@law4kids.com

Alberto is an experienced family law attorney. He recognizes that divorce isn’t about winning or losing but about finding the best solution for the family as a whole. He is a creative divorce attorney who tries to avoid emotionally and financially expensive court battles when possible. However, when settlement isn’t an option, Alberto is an aggressive advocate who will fight for our clients’ best interests.

Alberto is also a business law attorney and has a special interest in lemon law.

Education

Alberto graduated from the University of Wisconsin, School of Law in 2001, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University in 1996. He has written for the Wisconsin Journal of Family Law. Alberto is fluent in Spanish.

Personal

Alberto is a member of the Latino Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer coach for his children’s soccer and baseball teams. When he is not busy at work, he is busy raising his 3 children.

Areas of Practice

Adoption
Divorce and dissolution
Guardianship
Lemon law
Child custody, placement and support
Paternity
Post divorce
Post paternity
Property dispute
Termination of parental rights

Attorney
608-821-8214
edudaktaylor@law4kids.com

Emily is an enthusiastic representative of our clients’ interests. She brings persistence and an ability to think creatively to her work on behalf of children and families. Emily has a special interest in LGBT issues, assisted reproductive technology, and international law, including international adoptions and children’s immigration.  She writes and speaks locally and nationally about adoption, children’s immigration, LGBT family law, and estate planning matters to a wide variety of audiences.

Professional Activities

Emily is a fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and the LGBT Family Law Institute. The institute is a joint venture of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National LGBT Bar Association, which allows experienced LGBT attorneys from across the country to meet annually to share their collective wisdom and to discuss cutting-edge legal solutions for LGBT families.

In addition, Emily is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Workgroup on Safety and Well-Being For Immigrant and Refugee Children and Families, a committee formed by the Wisconsin Department of Children & Families to make recommendations on how the state can better serve immigrant and refugee children.  Emily also participates as a volunteer attorney in voter protection programs throughout Wisconsin and for some undocumented children, provides pro bono representation in their immigration matters.  She is a former member of the board of directors of Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.

Education

Emily earned her law degree cum laude from Tulane University Law School in 2005. She earned her B.A. in political science summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2000, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

During law school, Emily externed for Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Honorable Judge Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She also participated in Tulane Law School’s Cuban Detainee Program and was a panel chair of the Small Claims Court Arbitration Program in the City of New Orleans.

Personal

Emily enjoys international travel, running, bicycling, reading and walking dogs at the Dane County Humane Society, but most importantly, spending time with her husband, Kyland, and their rescue Boxer, Pippin.

Areas of Practice

Adoption (international and domestic)
Advanced reproductive technology
Family Medical Leave Act
Guardianships
Immigration
Life and estate planning, and probate
LGBT issues

Attorney
608-821-8213
svandenbrook@law4kids.com

Sara has long been a strong advocate for children. Before attending law school, she was a caseworker for the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare. As an attorney, Sara has helped many families involved in the child welfare system, as well as those with delinquency and school law issues. In all cases, Sara seeks creative solutions that work for families and protect children’s rights. Sara is a member of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin and she believes a team approach to family law is a very effective way to meet the unique needs of each family member involved.

Education

Sara graduated with distinction from UW-Madison with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies & Psychology.

She earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School where she was awarded the Bruce F. Beilfuss Award for Outstanding Service to the Law School, and the Pro Bono Partnership Award/Pro Bono Publico Award.

While in law school Sara was a leader in the Children’s Justice Project. She was also active in the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, and Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She interned for the Honorable David Flanagan, Dane County Circuit Court, and was a student attorney with both the Rock County Public Defender’s Office and the Family Law & Restorative Justice Project of the Frank J. Remington Center.

Personal

Sara is the captain of her co-ed kickball team and participates in various charity road races. She is proud to have completed a Madison Marathon. To say she enjoys running would be a stretch, but she does it anyway. Sara and her husband, Travis, enjoy traveling, but they also spend time working on their new home and hanging out with their cats, Monkey and George.

Areas of Practice

Adoption
Advanced reproductive technology
Child custody, placement and support
Divorce and Collaborative  Divorce
Guardianship
Grandparents’ rights
Foster parents’ rights
Juvenile delinquency
LGBT issues
Paternity
School law