Dentler, a former legal aid lawyer and consultant to non-profits and educational institutions, has specialized in juvenile dependency law since 2000. She handles appeals for parents, children, relatives and de facto parents. After adopting a teenaged foster child who was a distant relative, she expanded her practice to include training, advising and representing foster parents in the lower courts and government agencies. She is also experienced in drafting legislation and lobbying public officials to enact measures to improve the foster care system. Dentler teaches, speaks, and publishes in the field of juvenile dependency law and foster parenting.