Vernon S. v. Jerome C.

Opinion

ARABIAN, J.

Family Code section 7895 provides that, upon request, an appellate court “shall” appoint counsel for an indigent “appellant” appealing “a judgment freeing a child who is a dependent child of the juvenile court from parental custody and control.” The question here is whether an appellate court is required to appoint counsel for a respondent when the trial court *229refused to free the child from parental custody and control and the child was not a juvenile court dependent.

We conclude that Family Code section 7895 requires appellate courts to appoint counsel only for parents…