NCYL is interested in reviewing applications from visiting attorneys from private firms. At least five national law firms have established programs for their associates to be paid by the firm while they serve at public interest organizations. NCYL is actively recruiting such attorneys.
NCYL has a very successful track record of obtaining fellowships for young attorneys and integrating them into the work of the Center. The visiting attorney would be supervised and mentored by an experienced NCYL attorney. For information about NCYL’s attorneys, click here. If you are interested in applying, please contact:
Frankie Guzmán
405 14th Street, 15th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 835-8098 ext. 3018
fguzman(at)youthlaw.org
The specific opportunities for visiting attorneys would depend on an attorney’s background and interests. Examples of current projects and work areas:
Ongoing Litigation- Katie A. v. Bonta, a federal court lawsuit on behalf of a class of more than 40,000 foster children in California who have unmet mental health needs. The suit seeks to redesign the way foster children receive mental health services so that they receive the help they need.
- Clark K. v. Willden, a federal court lawsuit on behalf of more than 4,000 abused and neglected children in Las Vegas, NV. The suit seeks comprehensive reform of the foster care system in Las Vegas.
- Braam v. Washington, a lawsuit on behalf of a class of 8,000 foster children in Washington State. The settlement agreement provides comprehensive relief statewide and establishes an oversight panel to formulate the details of the remedy and oversee its implementation. NCYL attorneys work closely with the panel, function as a liaison with stakeholders, and bring enforcement actions when necessary.
Other Advocacy
Education- NCYL works to improve the educational outcomes of California foster youth. These youth are in desperate need of high-quality public education, yet they often do not receive the educational opportunities they need. NCYL’s foster youth education agenda focuses on representing individual foster youth in educational proceedings and seeking to improve the systems serving foster youth through impact litigation, policy advocacy, implementation efforts, and cross-disciplinary trainings.
Juvenile Justice- NCYL is engaged in ongoing advocacy to reform the juvenile justice systems in Wyoming and Arkansas. Reform efforts are aimed at reducing overreliance on incarceration to address the problems of youth in trouble and to expand community-based alternatives to secure confinement.
- There are more than 2,500 youth serving a sentence of life without possibility of parole for crimes committed when they were under 18. In the rest of the world, there are none. NCYL works to eliminate this sentencing option through policy advocacy and strategic litigation.
- NCYL works with juvenile mental health courts in San Jose and Oakland, CA. These courts divert mentally ill youth from a juvenile justice system, which cannot meet their needs into community based treatment, which is more likely to be effective. NCYL provides and coordinates civil advocacy to provide stable and safe home and school environments, enabling youth to succeed in their communities.
Health Care- Often, children in need bounce from one government agency to another with limited coordination or communication among those agencies. NCYL works to integrate delivery of children’s services, improving outcomes for children and allowing agencies and providers to eliminate inefficient gaps and overlaps in services. Specific activities include analysis of complex federal and state confidentiality statutes and the drafting of policies that balance confidentiality needs with necessary information sharing.
- NCYL advocates for increased access to reproductive health care for young people.
Mental Health- California foster youth are often denied mental health services when they are placed in a county other than the one in which they entered care. NCYL is improving access to mental health care for this population by collecting data on out-of-county cases, helping to implement SB 785, documenting ongoing issues, and preparing a report analyzing the problem and proposing solution.
Foster Care- There is a new federal law, which mandates major improvements in foster care, but it is not self-implementing. NCYL is considering developing detailed, practical plans for effective implementation, including trainings on new requirements, services, and procedures.
- NCYL is analyzing the efficacy of recently enacted legislation intended to improve California’s foster care system. In particular, NCYL is monitoring the implementation of SB 39, a bill that mandates public disclosure of findings and information about children who have died of abuse or neglect.
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