There is no “9 to 5” job in Judge Arnold’s book; he has worked tirelessly and many a “late-night” in dedication towards serving all parties and attorneys before him in court. He has treated everyone with fairness, courtesy and respect, and that has been the hallmark of his tenure on the bench. He is a faithful student of the law, and has been attentive to the needs of everyone who appears in front of him. Judge Arnold knows the value of “good old fashioned hard work”, having owned and operated a business in Monroe (the former Law Office of Frank L Arnold, PLLC) during difficult financial times. Judge Arnold learned from his grandparents who lived through the Great Depression, and from his own parents who instilled the value of dedication to a
task, of service to community, and of care and compassion of one’s neighbors.
Continuing Education
to Senior Citizens
Judge Arnold continues to give presentations at Monroe County senior centers regarding the court procedures and concepts relating to the probate court. He has educated seniors on guardianships, conservatorships, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, grandparenting and end of life issues. If you are a senior and wish for Judge Arnold to give a presentation at your center, please contact his office at 734-240-7335 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Working together with Chief Probate Judge John Hohman, Jr., and I.T. professionals, Judge Frank Arnold brainstormed and helped develop Smartphone applications to create Monroe’s first-ever electronic Emergency Removal Order. "With these applications in place, the process of removing children from abusive home settings is greatly expedited," he states. Judge Arnold also created a computer network archiving system for the Probate judges and staff to store and share legal memoranda and opinions. He is currently working with the entire bench to develop a web-based "dashboard" that will gauge the performance of the court system and consolidate court resources.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are volunteers from the community who receive 30 hours of intense training and are appointed by the Court to report on the well being of children involved in child protective proceedings, often as a result of abuse or neglect in the child’s home. Monroe County CASA volunteers visit the children weekly and act as the “eyes and ears” of the court in assessing the best interests of the children. Judge Arnold participates in the training and swearing in of Monroe County CASA volunteers.
Since 2010, Judge Arnold has spearheaded the Monroe County Adoption Team in answer to the rally-call of former Justice Maura Corrigan to achieve swift placement and permanency for kids lingering in foster care. Judge Arnold has brought stakeholders to the table including the DHS, CMH, CASA, attorneys and foster parents to discuss recruitment of foster families and how to overcome obstacles and barriers to achieving swift permanency. These efforts will continue vigorously in light of recent significant changes in the law related to service providers.
Anti-Bullying Coalition
Since last year, Judge Arnold has been working with the Monroe County ISD, the Prosecutor’s Office and other community stake-holders in forming an Anti Bully Task Force to protect the most vulnerable in society and to discuss means of prevention involving bullies and their families. The Monroe County Anti-Bully Task Force meets monthly and has sponsored events promoting awareness and advancing bully prevention measures in our schools.
Judge Arnold welcomes visiting students from Monroe County schools. He has regularly educated students who visit on the workings of the court and the various roles of staff. Judge Arnold has shared real-life stories from the delinquency docket in impressing the importance of positive choices, careful selection of friends, and awareness of one’s personal reputation. Chaperone parents have also found the tours and presentations to be educational as well. If you are a student or teacher wishing to tour the court and meet with Judge Arnold, please contact his office at 734-240-7335 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
| What has Judge Arnold done for you? |
Since taking the bench in 2010, Judge Arnold has implemented his own voluntary and self-imposed cost-saving measures, saving Monroe County thousands of dollars. "These are difficult time," Judge Arnold states. "Anything we can do to cost save is certainly better for our entire community. We have reduced staff hours when appropriate and we have not sought reimbursements from taxpayers for nickel-and-dime items that add up over time."
With the difficult financial times the nation has gone through, more and more litigants enter court without legal representation. In most civil domestic matters, litigants are generally not entitled to the benefit of a court appointed attorney even if they are indigent and cannot afford one. In providing these individuals with access to the justice system, Judge Arnold has adopted procedures and practices to ensure that their cases are heard in a timely manner and that self-represented litigants have the necessary paperwork and documentation in hand to process their cases to their conclusion. He has provided packets containing necessary documents for self-represented litigants in divorce matters, and has worked with the Clerk’s office in improving forms for “next friends” of minors and incapacitated individuals.
Along with the Chief Probate Judge John Hohman and staff, Judge Arnold is exploring educational opportunities for the community in Guardianship and Conservatorship matters, and has implemented a pilot program for potential and current guardians. This is similar to a model used in Washtenaw County Probate Court.
Judge Arnold has attended seminars and has discussed with local attorneys and out-of-county judges the possibility of implementing a mediation process in child protective proceedings, in the best interests of achieving family reunification and permanency for children in an expedited manner.
Judge Arnold has discussed with local attorneys and prosecutors implementing an educational series for local practitioners in handling serious delinquency matters where juveniles may face sanction as adult offenders. With the rise of juveniles being charged as adults, this is becoming a fast-growing concern.
Judge Arnold along with the Chief Probate Judge John Hohman have expanded Balanced And Restorative Justice measures involving youths detained at the youth center so that they may earn credits toward their youth center expense by doing significant community service and clean-up measures.
Judge Arnold will be exploring the possibility of utilizing closed circuit video for procedural hearings where juveniles are detained at the County Youth Center. This would reduce “road-time” for judges and jurists, limit county liability, and maximize the time that judges are in court to handle hearings and emergency matters. Currently the Monroe County District Court has received state funding to subsidize video conferencing with the jail, and Judge Arnold will explore the same for the County Youth Center and for mental commitment proceedings.
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