Clinic: Youth and Young Adult Trial, Post-Conviction, and Policy Advocacy (733-2)

Instructors

Stephanie Kollmann

Meeting Info

TBA: Wed 2:35PM - 3:50PM

Overview of class

Students in this clinic section, part of the Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC), will get first-hand experience working on significant juvenile and criminal legal policy reform efforts. Students develop advocacy skills including: writing and presenting to legal professionals, elected officials, and community groups; preparing and mooting legislative subject matter expert testimony; collaborating or negotiating with external advocates, partners, and opponents; and conducting legal, interdisciplinary, and policy research and data analysis. Reform projects have engaged all three branches of government across topics ranging in severity from curfew to gun violence. Students engage in strategy sessions to determine which tools of the policy lawyer are most effective at each stage of moving an issue forward. In past semesters, CFJC students have participated in successful efforts to close two Illinois juvenile prisons, keep thousands of youth out of adult criminal proceedings, and limit the time young people spend on incarceration, parole, and probation. Most recently, students supported the establishment of a trial-level state public defender agency - this will be the first significant change to Illinois' public defense structure since 1949.

Class sessions for this clinic section will be held jointly with Professor Mahadev's and Flaum's clinic sections.

Class Attributes

Satisfies Experiential Learning degree req
Satisfies Prof Writing degree req
Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Area
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: MSL Students are not eligible to enroll