September
11, 2005
UAA SWK -643
28
Importance of Effective Attorney
"Empirical surveys consistently
demonstrate that the quality of
counsel 'remains the single most important factor in the disposition of involuntary civil commitment cases." . . . Without such [adequate] counsel, it is likely that there will be no meaningful counterbalance to the hospital's
"script," and the
patient's articulated constitutional rights will evaporate.
Perlin, "And My Best Friend, My Doctor/Won't Even Say What It
Is I've Got": The Role
And Significance Of Counsel In Right To Refuse Treatment Cases, 42 San Diego Law Review 735 (2005)