Law Students Learn the Rewards of Practicing Family Law
UC’s School of Law was not officially back in session, but about 20 second and third-year law students were cramming a semester’s worth of a very heavy, important, and potentially heart-warming topic into one week.
They were part of the “Child Protection Advocacy” class taught by Hamilton County Juvenile Court Chief Magistrate Scheherazade Washington and two colleagues, who work in the trenches with families every day. Mag. Washington teamed with Kim Helfrich, Guardian ad litem Director for the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office, and Tracy Cook, Executive Director of ProKids.
“Teaching this class before the regular semester began allowed more students to participate without scheduling conflicts with required courses,” said Mag. Washington.
Family law involves one of the most intrusive governmental actions: the removal of children from their families. The course exposed students to the grounds for removal, which include abuse, neglect, and dependency. These decisions are made by juvenile and family courts across the nation, resulting in nearly 500,000 children in the child protection system each year.
“I am here because it is so important that we cultivate the skills and passion, and compassion in new lawyers for this type of practice, which is so important and often overlooked,” said Hamilton County Administrative Judge Kari Bloom, a guest speaker on the students last day of the course.
“Your work matters, no matter what type of law you practice,” Judge Bloom said, but added that there is special satisfaction for attorneys who have a heart for kids and families. “We need quality people who are interested in long term success for the most vulnerable kids in our community,” she said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re never going to get there, but you will and you do.”
Judge Bloom also encouraged the law students, and adults in general to mentor a child. “No kid is too young to have a mentor,” she said. “Kids on our delinquency docket who turn their behaviors around almost always credit one person who took interest in them. Just give them one hour, one day a week. I promise you that child will look forward to that day more than anything in the whole world.”
Private lawyers who are interested in becoming a panel attorney for Juvenile Court are encouraged to fill out an application on our website. Panel attorneys are selected by the Court to represent children and families who cannot afford legal counsel.