06 Jul 2022
Twelve rural Nebraska attorneys have been selected as the inaugural cohort of Children’s Justice Attorney Education Fellows.
Participants have committed to an eight-month program in which they will receive extensive education on state and federal child welfare and juvenile justice laws along with invaluable information and insight into the subjects necessary to become strong advocates. They will work with a team of experts to look beyond the legal issues in their cases to integrate social and psychological factors into case analysis.
Attorneys participating in the program serve clients in 34 Nebraska counties.
- Adaline Baker - The Law Office of Adaline Baker, serving Dawes, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Dodge, Saunders, and Douglas counties
- Audrey Bellew, ’17, - Brouillette, Dugan, Troshynski, & Bellew, serving Lincoln, Keith, and Red Willow counties
- Anna Brokaw, ’21, - Smith, Johnson, Allen, Connick & Hansen, serving Hall, Howard, Merrick, Adams, and Buffalo counties
- Marissa Curtiss, ’18, - Box Butte County Attorney's Office, and Grant County Attorney's Office, serving Box Butte, Dawes, Sioux, Grant, Sheridan, and Morrill counties
- Leah Gleason - Fye Law Office, serving Buffalo, Hall, Adams, Phelps, Harlan, Franklin, Furnas, and Kearney counties
- Amber Horn - Cheyenne County Attorney's Office, serving Cheyenne County
- Hayley Huyser - Hart, Huyser & Miller, P.C., L.L.O., serving Dawson County
- Margaret Jackson, ’18, - Brouillette Dugan Troshynski Bellew PC LLO, serving Lincoln, Red Willow, Frontier, Furnas, Dawson, Thomas, Logan, Hayes, Custer, Perkins, and Keith counties
- Jessica Laughlin, ’15, - Robert Brenner Law Office, serving Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne, Kimball, and Box Butte counties
- Emily Mathews - Saunders County Public Defender's Office, serving Saunders County
- Kendal Minich, ’14, - Gallant Law Office, serving Cuming and Dodge counties
- Emily Wood, ’18, - Colfer, Wood, Lyons & Wood, serving Lincoln, Frontier, Hitchcock, and Red Willow counties
“Our goal with the Children’s Justice Attorney Education program is to address some of the specialized training that is often left out of the traditional law school experience,” said Michelle Paxton, director of the program. “Attorneys need to understand subjects like complex family dynamics, trauma and child development, substance abuse, and domestic violence to be the most effective advocates for their child clients.”
The Children’s Justice Attorney Education program is the second project in which the College of Law and Center for Children, Families, and the Law have partnered. The program will increase the availability and accessibility of court-appointed and juvenile county attorneys thanks to a grant from the Aviv Foundation.
To learn more about the Children’s Justice Attorney Education Program, visit: law.unl.edu/childrens-justice-attorney-education.