Connecticut

Advocacy For Children And Youth Clinic Yale Law School

The Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization
P.O. Box 209090
New Haven, Ct 06520
Telephone:     (203) 432-4806
Website:          https://law.yale.edu/studying-law-yale/areas-interest/public-interest-law/about-public-interest-law/clinics-courses

100% Children’s Law

Does Not Use Volunteer Attorneys

The Sol and Lillian Goldman Family, Advocacy For Children And Youth Clinic was started in 2003. The Clinic provides training to 20 law students a year as part of the law school’s curriculum. Students represent both children living in the home and children removed on an emergency basis at the time the proceedings commence. Students receive academic credit for their participation in the clinic working with the two staff attorneys. Law students are supervised by staff attorneys to assist clients referred from juvenile court and social service agencies. The clinic also retains social workers as paid consultants when needed.

Center for Children’s Advocacy, Inc.
University of Connecticut School Of Law

65 Elizabeth St.
Hartford, CT 06105
Telephone:     (860) 570-5327
Website:          https://cca-ct.org/

100% Children’s Law

The Center for Children’s Advocacy, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a non-profit entity and based at the University of Connecticut School of Law with a planning grant from IOLTA. The Center works with law students as well as students from other disciplines, such as social work and psychology. The Center employs staff attorneys and also uses psychologists. Clients are referred by juvenile court, social service agencies, schools, and other attorneys. Training is provided for volunteers.

The Center has a variety of programs that include child abuse and neglect; teen legal rights, truancy prevention, alternative schools, and legislative advocacy. The Center also has a Teamchild Program that pairs an attorney from the center with a public defender in order to handle a child’s civil legal issues and to improve the outcome for the child in the juvenile justice system. There is a Medical-Legal Partnership Project that places a Center attorney at The Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in order to provide comprehensive legal representation to pediatric patients of the medical center in matters affecting children’s health, education and welfare. The Center Also has a school-based legal clinic that places a center attorney at a local high school in order to handle some of the legal issues of the students.

The Center has a KidsCounsel Training Program that includes a newsletter, a legal resource center, training seminars, an internship program for law students and a list serve.

Child Law Unit

New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc.
426 State St.
New Haven, Ct 06510-2018
Telephone:  (203) 946-4811
Fax:                (203) 498-9271
Website:       www.nhlegal.org

Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

The New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc. is a legal services office that has established a child law unit to handle a variety of children’s law issues. Clients are referred from juvenile court, social service agencies, schools, health care professionals and local attorneys, and pro bono attorneys are utilized to assist with cases.

The New Haven Legal Assistance Association works closely with the New Haven Bar Association. attorneys working as volunteers for the child law unit are able to attend trainings offered by The New Haven Bar Association and Clients who do not meet the income requirements of the association are referred to a legal referral program operated by The New Haven Bar Association. 

Children’s Law Center

30 Arbor St., North Building, 4th Floor
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone:    (860) 232-9993
                           (888) Law-Door
Email:              [email protected]
Website:         http://www.clcct.org/

100% Children’s Law

The Children’s Law Center provides children with legal representation in family matters where there are allegations of abuse, neglect, drug and/or alcohol dependency, domestic violence or chronic conflict. CLC’s court representation program involves a team of attorneys and clinical social workers who provide comprehensive legal representation of children in contested custody and visitation proceedings. Attorneys are provided with consultation services from staff and volunteer social workers to provide them with better understanding of the developmental and emotional needs of their clients. CLC’s court representation program serves the greater hartford and eastern regions of Connecticut.

The Center also provides a toll-free statewide information and referral service to any caller with legal issues and problems regarding a child.

Lawyers for Children America, Inc.

151 Farmington Ave.
Hartford, CT 06156-3124
Telephone:    (860) 273-0441
Email:              [email protected]
Website:         https://www.lawyersforchildrenamerica.org/

100% Children’s Law

Does Use Volunteer Lawyers

Lawyers for Children America, Inc. is a non-profit organization that began as a pilot in Hartford, Connecticut to address the issue of youth and violence. Lawyers for Children America seeks to engage the private bar in pro bono work on behalf of children and youth.

Lawyers for Children America trains and provides ongoing support to attorneys who have committed themselves to providing pro bono representation to children in the abuse and neglect system. These attorneys serve as legal advocates, ensuring that necessary services are accessed for the child and family, minimizing the upheaval and trauma typically associated with foster care, and working toward finding a safe and permanent home for the child. The ongoing training and support that Lawyers for Children America provides enables volunteer attorneys to address the multiple needs of children such as medical and dental, special education, emotional and enrichment in a comprehensive manner.