Juvenile and Family Law Program

Directors, Juvenile and Family Law Program: Professor Colene Robinson, Professor Jennifer Hendricks
Juvenile Law Clinic
Family Law Clinic
Certificate Program
Certificate Application
Faculty
Career Opportunities
Events & Programs

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 a network of, 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’s completion of a concentrated course of study in juvenile and family law. Certificates require at least 95 credit hours (89 are required for the JD), with at least 18 of the 95 hours in designated courses. In addition, students must maintain a 72 GPA. An 86 GPA will earn a “with honors” designation. Visit Rules of the Law School for complete details. Interested students should submit a completed Certificate Application .

Required Courses

Family Law
One of: Juvenile Justice, Domestic Violence, Parent, Child & State
One Clinic: Juvenile Law, Family Law or other clinical courses focusing on child or family related cases may be substituted with prior approval.
Additional credits from the following courses:

Faculty

Clinical Professor Colene Robinson, Program Co-Director and Juvenile 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.
Associate Professor Jennifer Hendricks, 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.
Clinical Professor Norman Aaronson, Civil Litigation Clinic Director, is a former teacher in the U.S. Peace Corps and attorney with Colorado Rural Legal Services.
Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor Deborah Cantrell teaches the Family Law Clinic and formerly served as the executive director of the Western Center on Law and Poverty in Los Angeles.
Associate Clinical Professor Ann England, a former public defender, oversees juvenile delinquency cases.
Professor Wayne Gazur teaches Estate Planning and Wills & Trusts, and has published a textbook on estate planning.
Associate Professor Miranda Fleischer specializes in tax policy and charitable giving and teaches Wills & Trusts and Federal Estate & Gift Tax.
Associate Professor Melissa Hart specializes in employment discrimination and issues of work and family. Prof. Hart served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Professor Dayna Matthew specializes in health and bioethics law.
Associate Professor Carolyn Ramsey 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’s 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 Office of Career Development maintains an extensive listing of juvenile and family law career opportunities including internships, clerkships, externships, and job postings through the CDOnline. Colorado Law students have worked for many of the following organizations during or after law school.

Government juvenile and family law offices:

Administration for Children and Families – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Child Welfare Services Division – Colorado Department of Health and Human Services
Colorado District Attorneys Offices
Denver District Court
Denver Juvenile Court
Family & Children's Division – Denver Department of Human Services
Family Court Facilitator's Office
National Clearinghouse for Child Abuse & Neglect

Juvenile and family law organizations in Colorado:

Colorado family law firms:

Colorado Bar Family Law Section

National child advocacy organizations:

Other juvenile and family law-related organizations:

Events & Programs (including past events)

Mentoring sessions with Juvenile and Family Law Program faculty
Career development brown bag lunches

“High Conflict Divorce & the Impact of Families”
“Intersection of Education & Juvenile Law”
“Juveniles Sentenced to Life Without Parole”
“Surrogacy & Assisted Reproductive Technology”
“Working in Marital Dissolution”
“Collaborative Law and Ethics”

Movie nights

Crystal Darkness: Meth’s 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
National Adoption Day: 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