Children and Family Law Center
Students seeking to find solutions to problems that arise in the field of children and family law will want to participate in programs and activities offered by the Children and Family Law Center. The Center trains students to advocate effectively for children and families in the legal system. The Center is also recognized for its nationally acclaimed research and continuing legal education programs.
Students acquire essential knowledge about child advocacy, divorce, domestic violence, adoption, and juvenile law. The Center also offers workshops in important allied disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and medicine.
Interdisciplinary Approach
The hallmark of the Children and Family Law Center is its commitment to partnering students with faculty, experienced lawyers, social workers, and mental health professionals dedicated to finding creative solutions to the legal problems facing children and families. These family law professionals mentor students, share their expertise at informal gatherings, and provide students with the kind of perspective that can only come from experience in the field. This collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning creates opportunities not commonly available to law students.
Student Society
The Washburn Children and Family Law Student Society (CFLSS) acts as the Center's organizing group in conjunction with the Center's director to develop events and programs. CFLSS also participates in Court Watch, a program in which students observe relevant cases in District Courts.
Learning By Doing
The Law Clinic plays an integral role in the Children and Family Law Center. Through the Clinic, students apply what they have learned to real cases and real clients. Student interns serve as guardians ad litem for adolescents in the child-in-need-of-care system. Students can also gain valuable, hands-on experience through externships with public legal clinics; Kansas Legal Services; the Kansas Children's Service League; or the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.
Other Opportunities
Students can also assist with editing the prestigious Family Law Quarterly, the American Bar Association's scholarly publication, whose editor is a Washburn Law professor. This publication was recently recognized as one of the most often cited specialty journals in the country.
