The Children's Justice Project (CJP) was founded in the spring of 2002 by three law students, Sarah Helvey, Hannah Renfro, and Notesong Srisopark Thompson.  Their mission was to promote justice for children through interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship and service.  Sarah, Hannah and Notesong established CJP as a dynamic student organization that contributed to the law student community by hosting speakers, sending students to national conferences, and establishing a successful fellowship program for students doing legal work on behalf of children.  Since its founding, CJP has grown stronger every year.  

Upcoming Events

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Check out the Gargoyle article featuring CJP's 5 year anniversary here

Pictures of CJP's 5 year anniversary.

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Congratulations to the 2009 Fellowship Recipients!

One of CJP's greatest accomplishments is its summer fellowship program, which was made possible in 2003 with an initial award of $3000 from the American Academy of Matrimonial Attorneys, matched by the UW Law School.  The program has been further sustained with funding from a generous donor, Attorney Clark Smith and other private donors, including Foley and Lardner.  The Fellowship Program provides funding to students who take unpaid summer internships that focus on children's law.  Students compete for a fellowship through an application and interview process and recipients receive up to $5,000 to fund their summer internships. 

The 2009 Fellowship Recipients are:

Elsie Wanton ~ Summer Law Clerk for the Family Law Project for South Central Michigan,

"I will work closely with attorneys and other law students to provide legal advice and representation to low-income domestic violence survivors. I will draft personal protection orders and work on issues involving divorce and custody proceedings. I will do intakes with clients in person and over the phone, draft correspondence, pleadings, and other legal documents.  I will also have many opportunities to go to court, either to file legal documents, observe an attorney, or to argue a motion myself."

Amy McGann ~ four weeks interning at the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) in Bangalore, India/eleven weeks at INTERIGHTS, the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights in London

"This summer I will work on upholding economic, social, and cultural rights that impact children. At ALF I will work on cases involving child labor.  During my internship at INTERIGHTS, I will work on economic and social rights.  More specifically, I will work on cases involving the right to health and the right to education.  I will conduct legal research on international and comparative human rights law and practice, and draft briefs to be filed in domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights."

Maria Lewis ~ Research Intern

"As a research intern this summer, I will be working on two legal research projects.  The first involves examining administrative hearing decisions and judicial opinions regarding the construction of the eligibility provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  The second involves a detailed analysis of the constitutionality of race-conscious policies in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Parents Involved v. Seattle."