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attorneys to do their jobs well. The agency attorney manager should be responsible for developing a system for training the agency staff as well as protocols to improve the working relationships between the agency and agency attorneys. 11. Work actively with external entities to improve the child welfare system Action: The agency attorney manager should act as a liason between the agency and outside entities involved in the child welfare system. For example, the agency attorney manager should meet regularly with the court and the state Court Improvement Program to improve issues concerning court administration. The agency attorney manager (or designee) should sit on all multidisciplinary committees charged with improving court functions or other aspects of the system. The agency attorney manager should be in regular contact with agencies, such as local hospitals or schools, that employ people who are frequently called as witnesses and who do work with the same population of children. Doing so can build strong relationships and improve the care the children receive from all of the involved agencies. The agency attorney manager should reach out to agencies such as law enforcement and treatment facilities that have information or documents often needed for litigation. Commentary: The agency attorney manager should be visible in the community and provide a positive face for people to associate with the agency and agency attorney's office. The agency attorney manager should understand the many issues the agency faces and help resolve some of these through work with the court and other involved entities. As mentioned above, the standards were drafted with the help of a committee. Many thanks to all of them for their time, expertise, and assistance in making these standards useful and practice focused. These members are: Diane Bennett, Lead Deputy County Counsel, Santa Clara County, California Bruce Boyer, Director and Clinical Professor Loyola University Chicago, and Chair, ABA Standing Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children Diane Garrity, Partner, Serra, Garrity & Masiowski, LLC and former General Counsel, New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department Marguerite Gualtieri, Child Advocate Staff Attorney Support Center for Child Advocates, and Co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee. Connie Hickman Tanner, Director of Juvenile Courts, Arkansas Virginia Peel, General Counsel Massachusetts Department of Social Services 25