Articles
How to Challenge the Taking of a Foster Child’s Social Security Benefits
This article outlines how children’s lawyers can bring state court challenges to the practice of social service agencies’ taking of foster children’s social security benefits.
Considering a career in children’s law? If you are thinking about law school, if you are in law school, or even if you are a practicing lawyer considering a career change to children’s law, there are several resources for you as you consider what it means to be a children’s lawyer.
Children and youth evoke an array of emotions in adults, but few adults realize the broad range of legal issues that affect the daily lives of children. The rights of children and youth are many and include such rights as freedom of speech and association, due process, and special education services in school; rights in immigration proceedings; and the right of mature minors to assert statutory privileges to protect the confidentiality of their medical, mental health, or substance abuse records.
Starting a Children's Law Program
The Children's Rights Litigation Committee has the unique ability to help individuals or local groups who are interested in starting or improving children's legal programs. The Committee is able to assist with experts, organizational support, recruiting materials and more.
"Children's law is an area rich with legal issues where a lawyer can make an impact for the time spent." There is an enormous variety in the types of cases covered by the title children's law. Types of cases range from litigation to transactional work. Lawyers can advocate for children utilizing a variety of skills including negotiation, mediation, dispute resolution, interpersonal communication, trial and deposition advocacy, research, writing, client interviewing, and counseling. There are substantive areas of children's law where impact litigation may be the only avenue for justice for children. Many other areas allow trial lawyers to gain live court experience on behalf of individual children and families. In every area, good lawyers can make a difference in the outcome of cases which can have a tremendous impact on the child client's life.
