Message from the Director, Melissa Carter Welcome to the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University School of Law. Our mission is to promote and protect the legal rights and interests of children involved with the juvenile court, child welfare and juvenile justice systems; to inspire excellence and integrity among the professionals and within the institutions that serve children; and to prepare the next generation of lawyers. Please explore this site to learn more about how our faculty, students and alumni are positively impacting children’s lives through the provision of high quality legal representation and achieving systemic reform through research-based policy development and legislative advocacy. The Barton Center’s three in-house legal clinics afford students a unique opportunity to integrate legal theory with law practice in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting. Our students receive instruction in lawyering skills and practice those skills in courtrooms, legislative committee hearings, and administrative settings under close faculty supervision. As they are exposed to the social context against which laws operate, student attorneys in our clinics also gain critical insights into how laws impact vulnerable members of society. The experiences of advising real individual and organizational clients, conducting research and developing reform strategies, arguing before a judge or negotiating a plea, and resolving ethical and strategic challenges as they unfold in complex matters prepares our students for successful and fulfilling careers. The Barton Center also serves as a resource for practitioners and policymakers committed to justice for children. We provide specialized training and consultation to juvenile court, child welfare and juvenile justice professionals and engage in systemic advocacy at the state and national levels. Visit the other pages on this site to better understand how together, through strategic partnerships and individual dedication, we can ensure justice and safety for all children.

News from the Barton Center

Child at Risk

April 2012: The April 2012 issue of EmoryWire Newsletter highlights the important work of children's advocates raising awareness for protecting children's human rights.  Read the article.

Child Rights Project

March 2012: The Child Rights Project at Emory University's Law School was formed by Professor Barbara Bennett Woodhouse to train student lawyers to represent children in cases that haven't yet attracted the attention of children's rights advocate. Their first case was writing an Amicus Brief and filing it with the Supreme Court to try to persuade the justices to uphold the Affordable Care Act. Watch the video.

The Amicus Brief by the students in The Child Rights Project was also reported in The National Law Journal on March 26, 2012. Read the article>>

Psychotropic Medication Report

February 2012: The Barton Center, in collaboration with Casey Family Programs and the Child Welfare Collaborative, has prepared a report on the monitoring of psychotropic medication use by youth in foster care. Read the report.

2012 ESCAP application period is now closed.

Information about how students can apply for the 2013 Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program will be available in late fall 2012.

Lawmakers Review Child Abuse Reporting Laws

Georgia lawmakers are examining current mandated reporter laws in the wake of child sexual abuse investigations at Penn State and Syracuse University. Learn more>>

Barton Center is honored as a Big Voice for Children

For the fifth year in a row, the nonprofit organization Voices for Georgia's Children (Voices) will recognize the state's top child advocates at its Big Voice for Children Awards dinner, taking place on Friday, November 18 at the Four Seasons hotel in Atlanta.

Among Voices' honorees is Emory University School of Law, home to the Barton Child Law and Policy Center. Voices says they chose to honor Emory Law because "the Barton Center has for more than 10 years been a strong advocate at the state capitol for abused, neglected and court-involved children. In addition, the Center has trained many law students for careers in child policy and advocacy, which is exemplified by the fact that Governor Deal has appointed lawyers associated with Emory Law as leaders of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. The commitment of Emory Law to the Barton Center demonstrates its priority for investing in the future of the state's most vulnerable children, all while creating outstanding and unique clinical opportunities for law students."

Child Welfare Legal Academy

The next Child Welfare Legal Academy will be held Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 2:00-4:15 pm in room 575 of Gambrell Hall at Emory University School of Law. Dr. Patrice Harris will share her perspective on the promise of trauma-informed care for achieving better outcomes for children in foster care.  Online registration and more information is available at http://www.regonline.com/trauma-informedcare.

Support the Barton Center

Make a Donation
Your contribution directly supports the work of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center to improve the lives of abused, neglected, and court-involved children. Thank you for your generous support. Our work would not be possible without community contributions.

One Advisory Committee Member's Story
Stephen F. Fusco 98C 01L raises funds for the Barton Center, saying “The Barton Child Law and Policy Center was my single best experience in law school.”