Attorney General Names New Director for Department of Justice Family Division

Deputy Attorney General Abigail Rodgers Layton
   Deputy Attorney General Abigail Rodgers Layton

Attorney General Matt Denn announced Friday that Deputy Attorney General Abigail Rodgers Layton has been named the next Director of the Family Division in the Delaware Department of Justice.

Layton is currently a prosecutor in the department’s Medicaid Fraud Control unit.

A graduate of Gettysburg College and Villanova University School of Law, Layton has worked for DOJ for 10 years, with some time in private practice as well. She served as the Commander of DOJ’s Child Predator Task Force for 4 years, and also as a criminal prosecutor in the department’s Misdemeanor Trial and Domestic Violence units. She is also the board president of Prevent Child Abuse Delaware.

“Abby is an accomplished prosecutor and manager, with a longstanding interest in the welfare of children,” said Attorney General Denn. “She is uniquely qualified to address the complex set of issues that the Family Division handles, and I am pleased that she will be overseeing the very capable attorneys and staff who work in our Family Division.”

DOJ’s Family Division is responsible for adjudication of juveniles in Family Court; prosecution of child dependency and neglect cases; securing and enforcing child support orders; enforcing truancy laws; and overseeing the work of DOJ’s ombudsman for school bullying incidents.

Layton takes over the Family Division director position on January 9, 2017, when current director LaKresha Roberts becomes the new Chief Deputy for the Department of Justice.


Attorney General Names Aaron Goldstein as State Solicitor and LaKresha Roberts as Director of Family Division

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attorney General Matt Denn announced that Deputy Attorney General Aaron Goldstein has been tapped as State Solicitor in charge of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, and Deputy Attorney General LaKresha Roberts will become director of DOJ’s Family Division.

A graduate of the University of Delaware and Widener University School of Law, Goldstein has been with the Department of Justice since 2004, including serving as assistant head of the Government Services Unit, and most recently, head of the Department’s Health Law Unit.  Prior to working at the Department of Justice, he worked in a private law firm, in the New Castle County Office of Law, the City of Wilmington Law Department and as an Assistant Public Defender. He was chosen as a Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments in 2011.

Roberts graduated from Pace University and the Widener University School of Law, and joined the Department of Justice in 2010, where she has worked in the Child Support, Child Protection, Juvenile Delinquency, and most recently, the Domestic Violence Unit. She previously worked for Family Court as a law clerk and as a mediation and arbitration officer. She was selected by the Delaware Business Times as one of their “40 Under 40” for 2015.

“It gives me great pleasure to make these two additions to our leadership team within the department,” said Attorney General Denn. “Aaron has served in a number of capacities in the Civil Division as well as in other government settings providing him experience that is well suited for the State Solicitor role. LaKresha’s career has been based on her passion and compassion for serving Delaware’s children and families and I have been impressed with her judgment. They will both do well in their respective roles.”

Goldstein has already taken the position of State Solicitor, replacing Meredith Tweedie, who moved to Governor Markell’s office. Roberts will replace Family Division director Patricia Dailey Lewis, who is retiring at the end of November after 30 years with the Department of Justice.

“We have had a number of opportunities within the department to honor Patty Dailey Lewis over the last few weeks, including presenting her with a new department award named in honor of Beau Biden,” Attorney General Denn said. “Families and children in Delaware – both in a general sense and in hundreds of specific individual cases – are better off because of Patty’s career and accomplishments, and we will miss her.”