Emory Law students in the Appeal for Youth Clinic support appellate representation to protect the constitutional rights of children and parents. Student teams work on either a civil appeal addressing legal issues arising from foster care proceedings or criminal appeals seeking post-conviction relief for youthful offenders in the criminal justice system.  The clinic’s civil appeals are undertaken in partnership with the Fulton County Parent Attorney Division of the Georgia Public Defender Council, and most commonly challenge the necessity of child removals or continued foster care placement. The clinic’s criminal appeals are referred by attorneys and advocates across Georgia, and most commonly focus on post-conviction relief for youthful offenders. Law students spend the semester learning about the substantive law governing children and their parents, the intricacies of appellate practice, and work intensively on strengthening their research & writing skills. The students’ work culminates in drafting an appellate brief that is filed before an appellate body, most often the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Students in AFY gain experience interviewing and counseling clients, identifying legal errors, drafting appellate briefs, and working with appointed counsel to prep cases for oral argument. In rare circumstances, students have the opportunity to prepare for and participate in oral arguments. Students learn how to understand and persuasively tell their client’s story, frame compelling, novel legal arguments, and ultimately safeguard the fundamental rights of families under the Georgia and United States constitutions.

The Appeal for Youth Clinic is offered in the fall and spring semesters and is open to both 2Ls and 3Ls. Any appearance before an appellate body is limited to students that have registered under the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Student Practice Rule. All other activities are open to both 2Ls and 3Ls. Students work a minimum of 150 hours during the semester to receive three graded academic credits.

Applications are closed for Spring 2025

Please reach out to Shree’ca Lott with questions.

ESCAP provides students from Emory and around the country with a summer opportunity to experience child advocacy in action. ESCAP participants are given an intensive training in child law and policy before spending ten weeks in a child advocacy internship in Georgia. Barton Center faculty provide continuing group meetings and substantive programming to enable participants to process what they are learning in the field.

Internship: Students work in a juvenile court or advocacy organization in Georgia under the supervision of child advocacy professionals on child dependency (civil child abuse and neglect) issues.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 ESCAP Interns.  Please apply here.

Please read about the experience of previous ESCAP participants here.

**2025 ESCAP Job Placement Descriptions**

Applications are no longer being accepted for 2025 ESCAP Placements.

2025 ESCAP Schedule

Applications

• For Placements: October 22 – November 8, 2024
• For Interns: November 18 – December 18, 2024

Matching Process

• Notification of Initial Matches: January 8-10, 2025 (Students & Organizations)
• Candidate Interviews: January 13-24, 2025
• Preferences Due: January 31, 2025 (Students & Candidates)

Offers and Acceptance

• Offers Made to Finalists: February 5-12, 2025
• Placements Notified of Intern Acceptance: February 28, 2025

Training and Internship

• ESCAP Interns Training Week (Open to Non-ESCAP Interns & Staff): May 19-23, 2025 (Emory Law School)
• Internship Start Date: May 27, 2025

End of Internship

• Final Day of ESCAP Internship: August 1, 2025 (Completion of 400 In-Placement Hours)
• Make-Up Days: August 4-6, 2025

Please reach out to Shree’ca Lott with questions.

Emory Law students in the Juvenile Defender Clinic serve as lawyers for youth accused of committing delinquent and status offenses. Students provide holistic legal representation in the Juvenile Courts of Fulton and DeKalb County and provide legal advocacy in the areas of school discipline, special education, mental health, and public benefits, when such advocacy is derivative of a client’s juvenile court case. Students may also engage in research and participate in the development of public policy related to youth justice issues.

The three-credit Juvenile Defender Clinic is an in-house legal clinic dedicated to providing holistic legal representation for children in delinquency and status offense proceedings. Student attorneys represent child clients in juvenile court and provide legal advocacy in the areas of school discipline, special education, mental health, and public benefits when such advocacy is derivative of a client’s juvenile court case.

Pursuant to Georgia’s Third Year Practice Act, under the supervision of the clinic’s managing attorney, the students are responsible for handling all aspects of client representation.  As such, students establish an attorney-client relationship with their client, direct case strategy determinations, investigate allegations, interview witnesses, negotiate dispositions, prepare and litigate motions, and try cases. Students may also engage in research and participate in the development of public policy related to juvenile justice issues

The Juvenile Defender Clinic is offered during the fall and spring semesters. Students work a minimum of 150 hours during the semester to receive three graded academic credits. To enroll in the Juvenile Defender Clinic, students must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Kids in Conflict with the Law.

Applications are closed for Spring 2025

Please reach out to Shree’ca Lott with questions.

Emory Law students volunteer in the Know Your Rights Program teaching youth about their rights during encounters with law enforcement or during involvement in the youth justice system.

Through the Know Your Rights initiative, Emory Law students work with at-risk youth to inform the young people about their rights during encounters with law enforcement or during involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Know Your Rights project is a volunteer, pro bono activity open to the entire law school. The purpose of the project is to provide fundamental knowledge of rights to at-risk youth.

Know Your Rights volunteers have created a comprehensive pamphlet to distribute to youth who attend the workshops. The pamphlet addresses the rights that youth identified as most important for them to learn about: (1) communications with law enforcement officers; (2) meeting with the intake officer, prosecutor, probation officer, and judge; (3) meeting with the defense attorney; and (4) general tips for confidentiality. The pamphlet was produced with assistance from the Southern Juvenile Defender Center.

Know Your Rights volunteers have also developed skits in which the law students play the role of authority figures, such as officers and attorneys, and program attendees play the role of a young person faced with real-life situations. During the role-play, the audience can advise the participant on the best course of action for the scene. At the end of each skit, law students lead a discussion about the consequences of the participant’s decision and explain the best course of action.

The Know Your Rights program provides unique opportunities for law students to learn leadership and teaching skills while working with young people in need of education about the legal system.

The Know Your Rights volunteers have presented workshops at Inman Middle School, the Horizons School, Shamrock Middle School, Grady High School, AIM, the Fulton County DFCS Independent Living Program, Boys and Girls Clubs, and several other after-school programs throughout metro Atlanta.

To volunteer for the program or request a workshop, contact Randee Waldman at rwaldm2(at)emory.edu or 404-727-6235.

Publications
Know Your Rights Brochure

In the spring semester, Emory Law and other Emory graduate students participate in the Legislative Advocacy Clinic, interacting with legislators and elected officials around current law reforms led by Barton and its community partners. Students attend legislative hearings and provide testimony in support of initiatives. Students also provide technical assistance to legislators and other stakeholders in assessing the merits and legality of various proposals, drafting legislation, and writing policy briefs and other documents to support a position.

Students in the Legislative Advocacy Clinic engage in legislative advocacy, conducting research, writing policy briefs, drafting legislation, testifying at hearings, and working with policy makers and community partners. Projects often arise from requests by agencies, courts, child advocacy partners, legislative committees, or from current events that affect the system. Clients have included foster youth empowerment groups and other grass roots organizations.

Legislative advocacy students act as lawyers in settings and roles that are different from traditional representation of individual clients. Lawyers as public policy advocates identify problems, develop strategies to solve them, collaborate with other advocacy organizations, interact with court personnel and government agencies, draft legislation and develop strategies to support its passage, and participate in other projects designed to effect systemic changes in the way courts and agencies handle child abuse, neglect, and juvenile delinquency cases.

The Legislative Advocacy Clinic is offered during the spring semester to coincide with the Georgia General Assembly. This Clinic is open to both 2Ls and 3Ls. Students work a minimum of 150 hours during the semester to receive three graded academic credits. To enroll in the Legislative Clinic, students must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Child Welfare Law and Policy.

Applications are closed for Spring 2025

Please reach out to Shree’ca Lott with questions.

During the fall semester, Emory Law and other Emory graduate students participate in the Public Policy Clinic. Students are involved in the many facets of policy development, beginning with identifying and researching real life problems relating to children and youth. Students work in teams to interact with stakeholders and people affected, conduct research, and provide realistic options for addressing the problems. Policy development approaches may include administrative policy changes, public education, legislation, litigation, or a combination of strategies.

Students in the Public Policy Clinic focus on research and advocacy projects that have a systemic impact on the way Georgia courts and agencies handle child abuse, neglect, and juvenile delinquency cases. Projects often arise from requests by agencies, courts, child advocacy partners, legislative committees, or from current events that affect the system. Former clients and partners have included foster youth empowerment groups and other grass roots organizations.

Public Policy students act as lawyers in settings and roles that are different from traditional representation of individual clients. Lawyers as public policy advocates identify problems, develop strategies to solve them, collaborate with other advocacy organizations, interact with court personnel and government agencies, draft legislation and develop strategies to support its passage, and participate in other projects designed to effect systemic changes in the way courts and agencies handle child abuse, neglect, and juvenile delinquency cases.

The Public Policy Clinic is offered during the fall semester and is open to both 2Ls and 3Ls. Students work a minimum of 150 hours during the semester to receive three graded academic credits. To enroll in the Public Policy Clinic, students must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Child Welfare Law and Policy.

Applications are no longer being accepted for Fall 2024

Please reach out to Shree’ca Lott with questions.