F urther ci tati on to T ex . Fam. Code Ann. (V er non 2002 & Supp. 2006) shall be by 1 the a bbrev iat ion “ Sect ion ” follo w ed by the re lev ant n umber . NO. 07-07 -031 2-CV IN THE CO UR T OF APPEA LS FO R THE S EVEN TH D ISTRI CT O F TEXAS

AT AM AR ILLO PAN EL B SEPTEM BER28, 2007

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___ IN THE MATTER OF A. G. N. , A CH ILD

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______ FRO M T HE COU NT Y COUR T AT LAW #1 OF P OT T ERCOU NT Y;

SIT T ING AS A JUVENIL E COURT NO . 908 4- J#1; H ON ORABLE W . F . R OBER TS, J UD GE

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____ Before QUINN, C.J., and CAMPBELL and HANCOCK, JJ. ON A BA TEMENT A ND R EMA ND A.G . N . , a j u v e n i l e , a p p e a l s a n o rd e r o f c o mm i t me n t t o t h e Te x as Y outh Co m m is s io n . Fi n d in g h e is wit h o u ta p p e ll a t e co u n s e l a n d t h e re c o rd is in c o m p le t e , we abate and remand th e c ase for proceed ing s c onsi ste nt w it h thi s o pin ion . On J une 22, 2007, A.G .N . w as commi tted to t he Tex as Y outh Commi ss ion by ind eter minat e order

m odi fyi ng dispos it ion . Tex . F am. C ode An n. § 54.05 (V er non Su pp. 2006) . H is tr ial co unsel , Va nce Edw ard Ivy , f il ed a noti ce of appeal on Jul y 9, 2007, and 12

w as thereafter g ra nted lea v e to w it hdraw from the re present ati on. On Aug ust7, 2007, the j u v e n i l e c o u rtd e n i e d t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f A . G . N . ’ s m o t h e r

fo r c o u rt - a p p o i n t e d c o u n s e l . W e find no ind ic ati on that A.G.N . has su bseq uentl y recei v ed appo int ed or

retai ned app ell ate couns el. The appel lat e record w as due i n thi s cou rtb y A u gus t 21, 2007. Tex . R . Ap p. P . 35.1. W e recei v ed th e c ler k’ s record on September 21, 2007, but hav e not recei v ed th e re por ter ’s record. On September 11, 2007, the re por ter filed a s tatus repor

t t hat i ndi cat ed A.G. N. had not req uest ed prep a ra ti on of the re por ter ’s record. In a sta tus repor t fil ed Sep tem ber 25 , 200 7, th e repo rter indicate d on Sept em ber 20 , 200 7, the m oth er of A.G.N. pai d a d eposi t for preparati on of the re por ter ’s record. A j uv eni le w ho may

be found d eli nq uent and s ubj ect ed to l oss of li ber ty has the ri g ht to ap poi nted couns el. See In r e Gault , 387 U .S. 1, 41 , 87 S. C t. 1428, 18 L. Ed. 2d 5 27 (1 967) ; In r

e D .A.S ., 973 S. W .2d 2 9 6 , 298 ( Tex . 199 8) . The Leg is lat ure has mandate d that ind ig ent j uv eni les recei ve th e a ss is tanc e of appoi nted couns el on appe al. Se cti ons 51.10( f)( 2) and 56.01( d) (2 ), (3 ). O nce a j uv eni le ex press es the d esire to a p p e al by fil ing a not ic e of appeal “[c ]ouns el shal l be appoint ed under the stand ards pro v ide d i n Secti on 51.10 of this code unl ess the ri g ht t o appea l is w aiv ed i n ac cordance w it h Secti on 51. 09 o f th is c o d e .” Se ct io n 56 .0 1 (f ). “A ch ild m a y be rep re se n te d by a n a tt o rn e y at e very st a ge of proc eedi ng s u nder

thi s t it le inc lud ing . . . : (8) proce edi ng s in a courtof ci v il appeal s o r the Te x as Sup reme Court rev iew ing proceed ings unde r this title.” Section 51 .10 (a).3

This ca se potent ial ly

rais es the i ss ue of a juv eni le’ s ri g ht t o appel lat e c ounse l w hen his or her parents are c apabl e of retai nin g an a ttor ney but do noteng ag e c ounse l for th e child. Unde r such circumsta nces Se ction 5 1.1 0 f urthe r prov ides: (d ) The cour

t s hal l order

a chi ld' s p arent o r other person re spons ibl e for s u p p o rto f t h e c h i l d t o e mp l o y a n a t t o r n e y

t o re p re s e n tt h e c h i l d , i f: (1 ) t h e ch il d is n o tre p re s e n t e d b y a n a t t o rn e y; (2 ) after g iv ing the appropr iat e par ti es an oppo rt u n it y

to be heard, t he c our

t det er mines that the parent o r other person re spons ibl e for suppo rtof the chi ld is financi all y abl e to empl oy an attor ney

to re presentthe chi ld; and (3 ) t h e ch il d ' s ri gh tt o re p re s e n t a t io n b y a n a t t o rn e y: (A ) has not b een w aiv ed under Sect ion 51.0 9 of thi s c ode; or (B ) may n o tb e w a i v e d u n d e r

S u b s e c t i o n ( b ) of thi s s ect ion . Sect ion 51 .10 (d). T he co urt ma y

also app oint co unse l in an y case it dee ms rep resen tatio n ne cessary to prot ect th e inte rests of the juvenile. Sect ion 51 .10 (g ). “The cour

t may enforc e orders u nder

Subs ect ion ( d) by

proceed ing s u nder

Secti on 54.07 or by appoi nti ng co unsel and order ing the parent o r other person re spons ibl e for suppo rtof the c hil d to pay a re asona ble attor ney 's fee set bythe cour t. T he order

may be enforced und er Sectio n 54 .07 .” Section 5 1.1 0(e). Con v ersel y , i f the c our

t det er mines a j uv eni le ’s p a rents are “ financi all y unabl e to employ an a ttor ney ” for th e c hil d, i t shal l appoi nt an attorn ey . Sect ion 51.10(f) . Cou nsel4

appoi nted under

Secti on 51. 10 (f) or (g ) may be compens ated from the g eneral fund of the c o u n t y a n d t h e ju ve n il e ’s p a re n t s o rd e re d t o re i m b u r s e t h e co u n t y fo r fe e s itp a ys app ointe d cou nsel. Se ction 5 1.1 0 (k). For t he purp ose of d ete rmining in digency, the court shal l cons ide r the a ss ets and inc ome of the chi ld, his or her parents , and anyother person respo nsible for the su ppo rt of the child. Section 56.0 1(m). W hil e the F amil y Cod e’s mechani sm under Titl e 3 for ens ur ing co unsel on a ppeal is re la ti vely detai led , t he s ame may not be s aid for t he prov is ion for p ay ment of co sts atten din g appeal i n the absen ce of i ndi g ency . As noted abov e, t his co urt has recei v ed th e clerk’s record ; howev er, coun sel for A.G.N. may d es i re s up pl em ent ation . More problem atic is the is sue of pay ment for the repor ter ’s record. Acc ordin g to the repo rt er ’s cu rrent s tatus re por t, the transc ri pt of A .G. N. ’s modific ati on hear ing i s a pprox imat ely 120 pag es cov er ing four da y s of

testim ony. This cou rt has received not if ication thatthe m oth er of A.G.N. re cent ly tend ered a depos itfor

preparati on of

the re por

ter ’s record, but th is al one doe s n ot erad icate th e po ssibility of f utu re de la y f or non -paymen t of this cost. Sect ion 56 .01 (l) author iz es the cour

t, in the absenc e of

indi g ency , to order

the pay ment of co sts on a ppeal by the child, his or her paren t, or person respon sible for supp ort. T hus, shou ld the court det ermin e tha t a juvenile is not ent itled to a f ree repo rter’s record unde r Section 56.0 2, it is emp owered t o ma ke orde rs suf f icient for paymen t of

the clerk’s record an d repo rter’s re cord by

the chi ld, hi s o r her

parents , or

othe r persons respon si ble for s uppor t. In l ig ht of the foreg oin g , w e abat e the appeal and re m a n d the cas e to the C ounty Court at L aw No. 1 of

Potte r County fo r fu rther proce edin gs. Upon rema nd, the trial court5

shal l use all nec ess ar y means , i ncl udi ng a he ar ing i f the c our t finds i t nec ess ar

y , t o deter mine the fol low ing : 1. w het her ap pellan t desires to prosecu te th e ap pea l; 2. w het her app ellantis indigent, a pplying the st and ard of Section 56.0 1(m); 3. w hether

appel lan t i s e nti tl ed to appoi nted couns el due t o i ndi g ence; 4. w hether

appointmentof

an attor ney

for appeal is necess ar

y to protec t t he intere sts of

app ellantaccording to Se ction 5 1.1 0(g); 5. after appl y ing Secti on 51. 10( d) , w hether to order ap p e llant ’s father

and mother to re tai n an attor ney

for a ppel lat e represent ati on of appel lan t; 6. w hether

appel lan t i s e n ti tl e d to a free re por ter ’s record under

Secti on 56.02; 7. in the abse nce o f

an indigency fin ding, w het her to o rder app el la n t ’s pare nts to pa y

the cost s for prepa ration of the clerk’s record an d repo rter’s re cord. If the trial court d e t e rm in e s thatA.G.N. de sires to prosecu te th e ap pea l, it shall make a ll orders n eces sar y to ensure represent ati on and a c omplet e record on appeal . T his court f inds no indicat ion that the case com es w ithin Se ction 5 6.0 1(n); ho w ever, if i t doe s, the t ri al cour t s hal l als o c erti fy that A.G. N. i s e nti tl ed to appeal under S ect ion 56.01( n) (1 ) or

( 2) or thathe i s n ot en ti tl ed to appeal and the reason . T he trial cou rt shall cause any hearing held to be transcribed and shal l c o n d u c t it in a manner

des ig ned t o prote ct A .G .N .’ s r ig hts w hic h may i ncl ude present ati on of testim ony in an y

m ann er p ermitt ed by law . T he trial cou rt shall (1) ex ecut e f indings of fact and c oncl usi ons of law address ing the foreg oin g i ss ues, ( 2) ca use to be dev elo ped a6

supp lem ent al clerk's record conta ining the f indings of fact an d con clusions o f law and all orde rs and certif icates it may issue as a result of comp liance w ith this orde r, and (3) cause to be dev elo ped a re por ter 's record transc ri bin g the e vidence and arg uments present ed at an y hear ing co nduct ed. Add itiona lly , the trial court shall f ile the sup plem ent al record w it h t h e clerk of this cour t on or before Nov ember

9, 2007. Shoul d further ti me be req uired by the tr ial co urt t o per form thes e tas ks , i t s hal l be s o req uest ed before N ov ember 9, 2007. Fi nal ly , i f the trial c o urt det er mines A.G .N . i s e nti tl ed to appoi nted couns el and appoi nts co unsel , i t s hal l infor m thi s cour t of t he name, ad dress , and st ate b ar number of the app ointe d cou nsel. It is so ordered.

Per C ur iam