The University of Denver Child Advocacy Practicum

The Child Advocacy Practicum is a course at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law that allows second-and-third-year law students to work in juvenile and family law. Under the supervision of Betsy Fordyce, Director of the University of Denver Child Advocacy Practicum for the Children's Law Center, the students represent children in dependency and neglect, deliquency, civil protection order and appelliate cases. In addition to the legal work, the students participate in a weekly class that focuses on the legal, social and clinical aspects of juvenile and family law.

One of the more innovative aspects of the course is the annual mock trial. The Children's Law Center is grateful to partner with the Colorado Court of Appeals and Colorado State Judicial Court Improvement Program as part of the mock trial experience. This partnership has been a cornerstone of the law course and a wonderful culmination of the academic year for the students.

The Children's Law Center teaches this unique, year-long course to train upper-level University of Denver Sturm College of Law students to effectively advocate for children. With attorney supervision, students represent children in court and get hands-on experience handling fact investigation, home visits, court appearances, opening and closing remarks, and report and motion drafting. In addition to direct courtroom experience, law students participate in a mock trial with real judges and expert witnesses and attend class twice a week to learn about:

• Dependency and neglect legal processes in Colorado
• Child custody
• Guardianship
• Adoption
• How to interview children in and out of the courtroom
• Behavior of children affected by fetal alcohol exposure
• Appropriate child visitation plans
• Community resources for families
• How to represent children exposed to domestic violence
• Foster parents' legal rights
• Ethical issues in representing children

For more information, contact Ann Vessels at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law at avessels@law.du.edu or 303.871.6238.