Children and Family Law Center
"My first year was filled with speakers, one-on-one interaction with professors, working on my certificate and writing-on to the Family Law Quarterly. Family law at Washburn isn't just about a scholarship or a certificate, it's about real experience."
— Kimberly Streit
"Problems facing children and families are numerous and complex. The Children and Family Law Center helps to train lawyers who can effectively advocate for these special groups of people, particularly in administrative and judicial proceedings."
— Linda Elrod, Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor and
Children and Family Law Center Director
Students seeking to find solutions to problems that arise in the field of children and family law 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, alternative dispute resolution, and juvenile law. Each semester a Family Law Scholar in Residence enriches the curriculum by presenting classes and meeting with students in small groups. The Center also offers workshops in important allied disciplines such as sociology and psychology.
Interdisciplinary Approach
The hallmark of the Children and Family Law Center is its commitment to partnering students with faculty members, 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 come only from experience in the field. This collaborative, interdisciplinary approach creates opportunities not commonly available to law students.
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 children in the child-in-need-of-care system. Students can also gain valuable, hands-on experience through externships with public legal clinics and Kansas Legal Services.
Family Law Quarterly
Students may be selected to assist with editing the prestigious Family Law Quarterly, the American Bar Association's scholarly publication, whose editor is Washburn Law Professor Linda Elrod. This publication was recently recognized as one of the most often-cited specialty journals in the country.
