With CAT since day one in 2004, Karen has devoted her practice entirely to child protection and delinquency cases — and built the database that keeps every case on track.
Karen has been with Child Advocacy Team since the very first day — April 1, 2004, when Genesee County contracted with CAT to provide court-appointed representation for kids in CPS and delinquency proceedings. Since joining CAT, she has devoted her practice entirely to representing young people in these cases, attending most of the initial court hearings for children in cases filed in Genesee County involving allegations of abuse or neglect, as well as delinquency cases filed against youth.
Karen attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted to the Michigan State Bar on December 2, 1992. She is active and in good standing with the Michigan State Bar, and is a member of the Children's Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association and the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC).
Before joining CAT, Karen built extensive experience across criminal defense, civil litigation, appellate law, estate planning, EPIC minor guardianships, juvenile guardianships, parental waivers, and mental health commitment proceedings — a foundation that directly informs the depth and quality of representation she brings to every child she serves. She also developed and continues to maintain CAT's comprehensive online client database, and handles all donations solicited and received by the organization.
A former president of the Genesee County Bar Association, Shayla brings deep experience in child protection, juvenile justice, and family law to every case she takes on.
Shayla joined Child Advocacy Team as a staff attorney on September 1, 2019, bringing with her nearly two decades of experience in Child Protection Proceedings, Juvenile Justice, Adoptions, and Family Law. She attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted to the Michigan State Bar on May 22, 2002, and is in good standing with the Bar.
Shayla has earned deep respect in the Genesee County legal community throughout her career. She is a past president of the Genesee County Bar Association (GCBA), a past member of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, a former member of the GCBA Community Action Committee, and a former GCBA chairperson of the Family Law Committee. She is a current member of the Children's Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association.
Outside the courtroom, Shayla gives back to her community as treasurer of the Flushing Valley Swim Association and as an active volunteer with the Flushing Community School Music program. Her commitment to Genesee County — in and out of the legal system — is a consistent thread through everything she does.
A certified Child Welfare Law Specialist since 2012, Terina has shaped statewide juvenile justice reform and trains other Michigan attorneys in this work.
Terina graduated cum laude from Detroit College of Law and was admitted to the Michigan Bar in November 1999. She has been with Child Advocacy Team as a full-time staff attorney — and now managing attorney — since June 2004, making her one of CAT's longest-serving advocates for Genesee County's children.
She is a member of both the Criminal Law and Children's Law Sections of the Michigan Bar, as well as the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC). Since 2012, she has held certification as a Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) through the NACC — one of a small number of attorneys in Michigan to hold this distinction, reflecting a standard of expertise that goes well beyond standard legal practice in this field.
Terina has been a council member of the Children's Law Section since 2017 and served as Council Chair in both 2023 and 2024. She serves on the Education, Legislative, and Juvenile Representation Committees of the Children's Law Section, where she is currently working on meaningful reforms to improve legal representation for minors in delinquency proceedings across Michigan.
From CAT's inception in 2004, Terina served as the dedicated L-GAL for children involved in the Genesee County Baby Court — from its very first day until its dissolution. In 2024, she was honored with the Michigan CASA L-GAL of the Year award, a recognition of both the quality of her individual advocacy and her broader impact on the field. She has also been recruited by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to train juvenile justice defense attorneys statewide — a testament to the respect her peers and the state's legal community have for her expertise.
The first L-GAL ever named Legal Advocate of the Year by Genesee County, Teresa has devoted her practice entirely to representing kids since joining CAT on day one in 2004.
Teresa has been with Child Advocacy Team since April 1, 2004 — day one — and since joining CAT she has devoted her practice entirely to representing kids in CPS and delinquency cases. She attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted to the Michigan State Bar on May 7, 1993. She is a member of both the American Indian Law and Children's Law Sections of the Michigan Bar Association.
In July 2004, Teresa was named Legal Advocate of the Year by the Genesee County Family Independence Agency — the first time in history that an L-GAL had ever received this honor. It was a recognition not just of her legal skill, but of the genuine difference she was already making for the children she represented. That same year, in February 2004, she appeared on ABC Channel 12 Newsmaker to discuss the role and duties of lawyer-guardian ad litems, helping to raise public awareness about the importance of this work.
Beyond her CPS and delinquency practice, Teresa brings substantial experience in family law, criminal law, and appellate law. She is a regular attendee of the Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect annual meeting, staying actively engaged with child welfare policy at the state level and ensuring that CAT's practice reflects the most current thinking in the field.
With a background in family law and prior work representing mothers in CPS cases, Marcey now represents only kids — full-time, since 2021.
Marcey brings something genuinely rare to her work at CAT: before joining the team on April 5, 2021, she spent years on the other side of these cases — representing mothers in CPS proceedings through Attorneys for Indigent Defense (AID) and Attorneys for Indigent Mothers (AIM). She was part of Genesee County's Baby Court from its very first day in 2008 until April 2021, giving her an unusually complete understanding of how these cases unfold and what every member of a family is experiencing when the system becomes part of their lives.
Marcey graduated from Detroit College of Law and was admitted to the Michigan Bar on November 25, 1992. She has extensive experience in Family Law, including custody, child support, and paternity matters. Since joining CAT, she represents only children — full time, without exception.
That shift — from representing mothers to representing the children in the same kinds of cases — speaks to a career built around one consistent commitment: making sure the most vulnerable people in the courtroom have someone genuinely fighting for them.