Lawyers involved found themselves parsing the allegations in the context of their clients’ lives.

The attorneys ad litem, many of them volunteer first-timers, advocated for reunification because that’s what their clients, the children, wanted.

“It’s not like you have a boyfriend who is sexually abusing the child or beating them, or mother’s a drug addict,” said Richard Grigg, an Austin plaintiff’s lawyer who was appointed to represent a 2-year-old.

Still, many lawyers aren’t sure their clients will be safe in the long run.

Photo of FLDS families filing out of the Tom Green County Courthouse following an April 18 hearing. Photo by AP Images.