Emory Law Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic copy

Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic

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he Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic, part of the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, is an in-house legal clinic dedicated to providing holistic legal representation for children in delinquency and status offense proceedings. Student attorneys represent clients in juvenile court and provide legal advocacy in school discipline, special education, mental health and public benefits, when such advocacy is derivative of a client’s juvenile court case.

A.P.P.E.A.L. for Youth, or Alleviating the Prison Pipeline by Engaging Appellate Lawyers, is an Equal Justice Works project housed at the Juvenile Defender Clinic that seeks systemic reform in Georgia through the holistic appellate representation of youths. Student attorneys represent youth in their appeals from juvenile delinquency adjudications, criminal convictions when tried in the adult system and school disciplinary decisions.

The life of a juvenile defender is not a 9-to-5 position left with work at the office each evening. Events and meetings vary in timing and location, and the stories of the children stay with you long after the office is closed. While challenging and difficult, work in this field can be one of the most rewarding professional choices you can ever make.

The Juvenile Defender Clinic aspires to help students understand the impact of the legal system on a community.

• Student attorneys establish attorney-client relationships with children and are responsible for all aspects of client representation.

• Student attorneys uphold the principles of juvenile defense attorneys.

• Student attorneys advocate zealously for the client, focusing on the wishes of the child, not the parents.

• Students demonstrate professional responsibility and develop oral and written advocacy skills.

• Students develop practice management skills, learn how to synthesize facts and legal principals and plan legal strategies.

• Through reflection, students highlight explicit lessons learned from their experiences.

• The Juvenile Defender Clinic strives to improve a child’s chances of becoming a productive citizen. By obtaining quality representation, clients receive an opportunity to excel in school and to develop a positive view of the legal system.

Learn more at www.law.emory.edu/bartonjdc.

QUESTIONS? Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic Emory University School of Law 1301 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30322 Phone: 404.712.8399 Fax: 404.727.7851 Email: jdc.emory@gmail.com

“

I represented a minor who had been charged with prostitution. DeKalb County has this practice where it goes forward with prosecution charges against minors.

I had the opportunity to challenge that practice under the Georgia constitution as inconsistent with Georgia’s age of consent, which is 16. I argued that it was inconsistent to charge someone with the crime of prostitution who can’t consent to sex.

”

—Mark Richardson 09L

more than practice

Clinic Goals

Juvenile Defender Clinic Faculty • Randee J. Waldman, director BA, Haverford College; JD, University of Chicago Law School • Stephen Reba, Ford & Harrison Equal Justice Works Fellow BA, Clemson University; JD, John Marshall Law School

Academic Requirements The direct representation component of the Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic is open to third-year law students who are eligible to practice under Georgia’s third-year practice rules. A.P.P.E.A.L. for Youth is open to second- and third-year students.

• Students represent clients in juvenile delinquency proceedings and related matters.

• They may work on legal and policy issues affecting juveniles in the justice system.

• Students will prepare cases and conduct investigations.

• For three hours of graded credit, students work a minimum of 150 hours in the clinic.

Student attorneys are expected to put in as much time as is required to successfully represent juvenile clients.

Students must have the flexibility to attend evening and weekend meetings, to meet with clients after school and to work within the parameters of the schedules of working parents.

Students are required to keep regular office hours.

Obligations for the weekly schedule include case collaboration, supervisory meetings and weekly clinic meetings. Each student prepares comprehensive and detailed weekly field notes to provide opportunities to clarify in writing a sense of the work being done and reactions to advocacy experiences.

Application Process You must complete a two-part, online form, including submissions of: • Resume • Writing sample • Personal statement, detailing your interest in participating in the Juvenile Defender Clinic.

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Nothing in my legal career can compare to the feeling of calling this client to tell him that not only were the charges against him dropped due to lack of evidence, but that he did not even have to show up to court the next day.

The excitement and relief in his voice and in his mother’s voice made all of the hard work worth it.

—Currey Hitchens 09L Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Under the direction of Randee Waldman, director of the Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic, Emory Law students work with at-risk youth to inform them of their rights during encounters with law enforcement or during involvement in the juvenile justice system.

The Know Your Rights project is a volunteer, pro bono activity open to the entire law school. The purpose of the project is to provide fundamental knowledge of rights to at-risk youth.

The Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic The Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic offers students practical experiences in child advocacy work.

The clinic was established to provide research-based information, training and policy analysis to practitioners and policy-makers charged with protecting Georgia’s children.

Learn more at www.law.emory.edu/bartonclinic 012010