Colorado Law ranked #2 for Top 10 Law Schools for Family Law (Law Street, 2015)

Juvenile and family law covers a broad range of practice areas, such as marriage, divorce, custody, visitation, family support, child abuse and neglect, delinquency, adoption, estate planning, education law, and elder law. The Juvenile and Family Law Program (JFLP) provides students with opportunities to acquire specialized knowledge in this field, develop relationships with, and foster collaboration between, students, academics, and practitioners, and engage in interdisciplinary work in the study and practice of the field. The Program includes specialized courses, research projects, externships, and clinical opportunities.

Certificate Program

Colorado Law offers a Juvenile and Family Law Certificate, demonstrating a student鈥檚 completion of a concentrated course of study in Juvenile and Family Law.听Students must earn 92 total credits which must include 18 in the field of Juvenile and Family Law.听A student who satisfies all of the course requirements for the Certificate will be awarded the Certificate if the student earned at least a C in each course designated by the student as satisfying the Certificate requirements.听A student who satisfies all of the course requirements for the Certificate would be awarded the Certificate "with honors" if the student earned a cumulative grade point average of at least an A- in courses designated by the student as satisfying the Certificate requirements. Visit听Rules of the Law School for complete details. Interested students should submit a completed听.听
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Required Courses

  • At least one of: ,听
  • One Clinic:听Juvenile and Family Law or other clinic focusing on juvenile or family issues (approved by the Program Directors)
  • Electives approved by the faculty directors, which may include credits for a relevant externship and up to one credit for participating in a relevant national moot court competition.

Faculty

  • , Program Co-Director and Juvenile & Family Law Clinic Director, represents children and parents in child abuse and neglect and delinquency cases. She was recognized as one of ten national Civitas Childlaw Scholars.听
  • , Program Co-Director, teaches Family Law and Parent, Child, and State. She writes about sex equality and sex differences in parental rights, feminist theory, and constitutional family law.听
  • teaches the Sustainable Community Development Clinic and formerly served as the executive director of the Western Center on Law and Poverty in Los Angeles.
  • , a former public defender, oversees juvenile delinquency cases.
  • 听specializes in domestic violence, criminal law and procedure, and gender issues.

Career Opportunities

Careers that focus on juvenile and family law include family law practioner (solo practice or law firm), guardian ad litem or child鈥檚 attorney, social services agency attorney, District Attorney or Public Defender specializing in juveniles, public policy-makers, and judicial clerkships in specialized juvenile or domestic courts. The听Office of Career Development听maintains an extensive listing of juvenile and family law career opportunities including internships, clerkships,听externships, and job postings through the听. Colorado Law students have worked for many of the following organizations during or after law school.

  • Government juvenile and family law offices:听
    • Child Welfare Services Division 鈥� Colorado Department of Health and Human Services
    • [pdf]
    • Family & Children's Division 鈥� Denver Department of Human Services
    • Family Court Facilitator's Office
  • Juvenile and family law organizations in Colorado:
    • Office of the Child鈥檚 Representative听
  • Colorado family law firms:
  • National child advocacy organizations:
  • Other juvenile and family law-related organizations:
    • Boulder Office of Dispute Resolution

Events & Programs (including past events)

  • Mentoring sessions with Juvenile and Family Law Program faculty
  • Career development brown bag lunches
    • 鈥淗igh Conflict Divorce & the Impact of Families鈥�
    • 鈥淚ntersection of Education & Juvenile Law鈥�
    • 鈥淛uveniles Sentenced to Life Without Parole鈥�
    • 鈥淪urrogacy & Assisted Reproductive Technology鈥�
    • 鈥淲orking in Marital Dissolution鈥�
    • 鈥淐ollaborative Law and Ethics鈥�
  • Movie nights
    • Crystal Darkness: Meth鈥檚 Deadly Assault on our Youth
    • Losing Isaiah
    • Gone Baby Gone
    • I Am Sam
  • Broadway Youth Shelter mentorship dinners
  • Child Welfare and Adoption Law National Moot Court Competition
  • : The Juvenile Law Clinic and its alumni represent several clients for adoption every year. Members of the Juvenile and Family Law Club also volunteer at Adoption Day events.
  • Statewide symposiums and national conferences
      • Statewide symposium co-sponsored by Colorado Law and the Office of the Child's Representative
      • Co-sponsored by Colorado Women's Bar Association, OUTLaw, Federalist Society, Student Trial Lawyers Association