User:Dllevy2

David Lawrence Levy, ESQ.

Background
David L. Levy, J.D. is a pioneer in the field of children's rights. In 1985, Levy co-founded The National Council for Children's Rights, later renamed The Children's Rights Council, which he currently serves as Board President. He was the CEO from it’s inception until he became Board President on July 25, 2008. CRC is a global non-profit organization dedicated to assuring a child the right to two parents and an extended family, regardless of the parents' marital status.

Education
A native of Yonkers, New York, Levy attended the University of Florida where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958 prior to matriculating to the University of Florida Law School from which he received his juris doctorate in 1961. He spent a year in Israel (1969-1970), and upon his return to the U.S., he wrote freelance articles for The Washington Post.

Career
As President of CRC, Levy directs the Board of Trustees to strengthen families and reduce the trauma of divorce to children through supporting legislation and programs which favor. shared parenting (joint custody) mediation, access/parenting time, and emotional and financial child support. CRC also favors greater efforts towards marriageability and family preservation. Levy edits CRC's quarterly newsletter, "Children”. Levy is responsible for CRC's 16 national conferences that have attracted judges, lawyers, researchers, educators, elected officials, and custody reform activists. Levy also helps to guide CRC's 41 access and visitation centers in 11 states and The District of Columbia. that provide neutral drop-off and pick-up of children and supervised access (visitation). Levy also provides support to CRC's 57 chapters in 37 states and 7 other countries. (Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Japan, Switzerland and United Kingdom)

Honors & Achievements
Levy received a "Lifelong Achievement Award" for his "untiring efforts on behalf of the Children of America" from the National Child Support Office in September, 2000. Levy and CRC received the 1996 "Distinguished Service to Children" award from Parents without Partners International, sand the "1996 Legislative Achievement" award from the National Parents' Day Coalition. In 1989, Levy received the Prince George's County Civic Association award for convincing Prince's George County, MD to hire the first access (visitation) mediator east of Michigan. He is listed on "Who's Who in America."

A noted author, Mr. Levy has written a myriad of articles on the subject of child custody and divorce mediation which have been published in prominent legal journals as well as noted in general interest publications. He edited the CRC book "The Best Parent is Both Parents," (Hampton Roads Publishing Co., 1994). He also authored the novel "The Potomac Conspiracy" (Major Books, 1976).

Among his professional affiliations, Levy has been admitted to the Washington, D.C. Bar and the United States Supreme Court Bar. He was a board member of the Supervised Visitation Network and Stepfamily Association of America.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Levy served as President of the Beth Torah Congregation from 1984 through 1986 during which time he was responsible for implementing a fundraiser drive which turned the financially imperiled congregation into a financially viable organization.

CRC and Levy Recent News
This column appeared in 1,400 Newspapers Dear Abby - November 3, 2008 MAN PESTERED BY EX-WIFE MUST ACT TO HELP HIS SON

DEAR ABBY: Parental alienation is a topic I have never seen addressed in your column. It is a problem with many divorces involving children. I think my brother is a victim of it. He lives in a different state than his little boy, but pays child support. Abby, his ex continuously harasses him via text messaging and late-night phone calls, accusing him of things she thinks happened when they were together. You'd think she hasn't moved on, but she has a new husband!

She agreed that my brother could call his son twice a week, but she rarely answers the phone during these scheduled "visits." She is now trying harder to keep my brother out of his son's life. She even told my nephew that the presents my brother sent him for Christmas came from her new husband!

My brother can't afford a lawyer right now, but he is moving to Florida in the near future and I would like to help him resolve this issue. What are your thoughts on parental alienation? -- FRUSTRATED SIS IN FLORIDA DEAR FRUSTRATED SIS: The kind of anger, selfishness and vindictiveness you have described are unhealthy for everyone involved. Obviously, your former sister-in-law has not moved on. She's still stuck in trying to retaliate against your brother. She's expending the energy and attention she should be devoting to her new marriage and new husband to punishing her last one. And as for your nephew, when a child grows up believing his father thought he was unimportant and expendable, it can negatively affect his sense of self-worth. There is an effective resource available to your brother -- the Children's Rights Council (CRC). For many years this organization has worked to prevent children from being victimized by their parents' divorces, something which happens all too often. The CRC has 57 chapters in 37 states, and its Web site is www.crckids.org. Its president, David L. Levy, J.D., is a nationally known expert on children and edited "The Best Parent Is Both Parents" (Hampton Roads Publishing). Please advise your brother to contact this group. 