Juvenile Law Section
The Juvenile Law Section provides an opportunity for legal professionals who work with juveniles and their families in child welfare and juvenile justice to meet together and work collaboratively on issues facing their clients. Areas of legal practice the section addresses include child welfare, juvenile justice, status offenses, immigration as it relates to children and families, truancy, at-risk youth and children in need of services proceedings, as well as a variety of civil legal needs of youth. The Section welcomes advocates from all interested disciplines and a variety of fields of law, including juvenile justice, child welfare, and those who represent youth in civil legal practice.
The Section provides benefits to members by sponsoring an annual CLE focusing on current developments in the area of juvenile law. The Section also acts as an agent of change to improve the law and practice related to civil and criminal matters involving children and youth in Washington state.
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The Juvenile Law Section offers many resources and benefits for members. On this page you will find information about the section, their upcoming events and offerings, as well as information about the section's executive committee.
Upcoming ProgramsAwards & ScholarshipsMember BenefitsWarm Hand Off List | Join Our List ServeExecutive CommitteeExecutive Committee Meetings |
Upcoming Programs
Executive Committee Elections
Election season is here! If you’re interested in applying to serve on your section’s executive committee, head over to the Elections page to see a list of open positions and how to apply.
If you have any questions, please email sections@wsba.org.
Introduction to Special Immigrant Status: Role of State Court
Developed in partnership with the WSBA Juvenile Law Section
The is the first of a three part series on the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. In this training you will learn about Special Immigrant Juvenile classification and the key role of the state court in the immigration process. This humanitarian immigration program is designed to help children who have been abandoned, abused and neglected by one or both parents. The presenters will explain how family law, dependency, guardianships, and other state court procedures concerning child welfare are needed to assist immigrant children. The presenters will provide example scenarios and allow time for attendees to pose questions/issues related to their own cases.
When: May 3, 2024
Time: Noon–1 p.m. PST
Credits: 1.50 Law & Legal Procedure
Awards/Scholarships
Children's Justice Conference Scholarship Award Winners
Congratulations to Christina Sorenson and Delaina Bolich, the recipients of our two Children's Justice Conference $300 scholarship awards! Christina is an attorney at TeamChild with an interest in furthering her education around the laws and policies relevant to her work in her current position. Delaina is a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Franklin County in the Juvenile Division with a background as a probation officer, and she has an interest in networking with others who are interested in creating innovative solutions to help at-risk youth in her community.
We are looking forward to hearing from Christina and Delaina on their experience at the Children's Justice Conference!
Congratulations again!
If you are interested in learning more about the Children's Justice Conference, please go to the conference website at https://dcyfcjc.com/.
Member Benefits
A full list of member benefits is coming soon!
Warm Hand Off List
Hello Juvenile Law Section Members! Below is a list of attorneys working in various fields that frequently overlap with juvenile law. Please reach out to them for a nudge in the right direction on related issues in one of your cases or for general questions if you're interested in joining the field.
Remember that these folks are volunteers, so please be respectful of their time and assistance.
Please let the Young Lawyer Liaison for the Juvenile Law Section know if there is an area not listed here for which you need help finding a volunteer question-answerer or if you are that willing volunteer!
| Practice Area | Name | |
| Employment law for minors: | Colin McHugh | cmchugh@navigatelawgrouop.com |
| Tort law for minor plaintiffs: | Myrna Luna | myrna.luna@comcast.net |
| Criminal law for minor defendants: | Laura Mapes | laura@mapeslawoffice.com |
| Trustee law for minor trustees: | Allison Foreman | allison@fhbzlaw.com |
| Guardianship for minors: | Anastasia Blakley | anastasia@everbluelaw.org |
| Civil Rights law for minor plaintiffs: | Prachi Dave | prachi.dave@civilsurvival.org |
Executive Committee
Chair: James M. Richardson III (2023-2024) Chair-Elect: Bailey Zydek (2023-2024) Immediate Past-Chair: Bailey Zydek (2023-2024) Secretary/Treasurer: Marci Comeau (2023-2024) Young Lawyer Liaison: Anastasia Blakley (2023-2025) Board of Governors Liaison*: Kari Petrasek (2023-2024)
* Nonvoting member To learn more about your Executive Committee Members, check out the Biographies page.
| At-Large Members: CLE/Outreach Coordinator: Civil Legal Needs Committee Co-Director: Dependency & Child Welfare Committee Co-Directors: Juvenile Justice Committee Co-Director: Legislative Committee Co-Director: Law School Representatives*: TBD |
Executive Committee Meetings
The WSBA Juvenile Law Executive Committee generally conducts meetings by videoconference from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Meetings are hosted on Zoom and are open to all section members and members of the public.
See the Juvenile Law Section's event calendar listing for log-in information. Please contact subcommittee members for details on their upcoming meeting dates and locations.
Join Our List Serve
To join the section list serve and for general section questions, please send your email address and Bar number to sections@wsba.org. For more information and to get involved with the section, contact the section Co-Chair Jim Richardson.
