News Archive

Eight students in IU McKinney’s newest clinic act as the voice for children in the Marion County child welfare system, while at the same time learning by doing.

The Child Advocacy Law Clinic, the 10^th and most recent offering in the school’s clinical program, was launched in the Fall 2016 semester. Second- and third-year law students work with Child Advocates, the court appointed special advocate (CASA) agency for Marion County. The agency represents and protects the best interests of children who are suffering life-threatening abuse or neglect.

“It's great to get out of the classroom and into the real world,” said clinic student Julie DeVoe. She’s a 2L in the day program at IU McKinney. “I was excited about an opportunity to work directly with children and their families in a role that serves such an important purpose.”

Students interact with their child clients, other parties, and in the courtroom. Classroom sessions focus heavily on legal issues faced by children in the child welfare system including immigration, family law, juvenile delinquency, education law, and rights to privacy among other topics.

The clinic was established following discussions that commenced in 2015. Cindy Booth, ’91, executive director of Child Advocates, Carey Haley Wong, ‘02, chief counsel at the organization, and Nicole Goodson with Disability Legal Services, who also serves as a guardian ad litem (GAL) at Child Advocates, met with Professors Schumm, Carrie Hagan, and Vice Dean Antony Page to discuss the need for such a clinic. Within a year, it became a reality.

“The clinic is exceeding our expectations!” Wong said. “We have been so fortunate to have an amazing and dedicated group of students for the first semester of the program.”

Goodson agreed. “The students enrolled in the clinic have shown a great level of understanding of the law and dedication to advocating for children's rights,” she said. “Additionally, everyone at the juvenile court has welcomed our students with open arms and done all they can to make sure the students are receiving a rich educational experience.”

As part of the class, all of the clinic students were sworn in as guardians ad litem by Magistrate Jennifer Hubbart, ’94, who serves in the Marion County Juvenile Court.

Serving as a guardian ad litem has been eye-opening for McKinney 3L Betsy Huffman. She’s a former middle and high school English teacher who has always been interested in helping children. Huffman is in the law school’s evening division and works par -time as a law clerk at the Indiana State Personnel Department. “The clinic has taught me about balancing competing interests – those of the Department of Child Services, the child, the parents – and how many children are part of the legal system, through no fault of their own,” Huffman said. “Guardians ad litem have an important job in making sure the courts hear from or at least about the children's wishes. This clinic has shown how easy it is for the adults' concerns to overshadow the children's and why it is important for the GAL program to exist.”

In the photo from left are Adjunct Professor Nicole Goodson, student LaVonna Thomas, Adjunct Professor Carey Haley Wong, and students Victoria Martz, Whitney Scott, Jessica Harris, Elizabeth Huffman, Michelle Walker, Rachel Spiegel, and Julie DeVoe.