Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic – 7675

Fall 2014
* Multi-semester course

The Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic (the “CAC”) is a two-semester, seven credit program beginning in the fall semester in which students represent low-income clients in juvenile delinquency and child welfare matters before the Hennepin County Juvenile Court and third-party custody cases before the Hennepin County Family Court.

CAC students represent multiple clients during the course of the year and, under the supervision of CAC faculty, undertake every aspect of direct representation: from interviewing witnesses, to performing fact investigation, to drafting pleadings, to engaging in settlement negotiations, to appearing for court hearings, to conducting trials.

Many classroom sessions are held in conjunction with the Indian Child Welfare Clinic and cover not only applicable procedure, substantive law and relevant trial skills, but also address broader systemic issues. Students are consistently challenged to consider the historical context and purpose of the family and juvenile courts and to think critically about the effectiveness and equity of the present-day system.

To ensure a fulfilling experience in the CAC, students must be willing to make a substantial time commitment that goes beyond the classroom work. This may require students to arrange their class schedules in a way that allows students to appear in court, conduct investigations, and meet with clients. We also strongly recommend that students enroll in both Evidence and Professor Barry Feld’s Juvenile Justice course during the fall semester.