Kids Can Be Clients: Honoring Children’s Capacity and Right to be Heard

Young children need lawyers to safeguard their rights and interests, yet assumptions about their capacity too often silence them. This session challenges frameworks that limit children ages 6–11 from participating in court and the attorney-client relationship. Presenters will highlight how developmental science on executive functioning, communication, reasoning, and judgment supports their meaningful involvement in both court proceedings and also the attorney-client relationship.

Panelists will share insights and practical tools for engaging school-age children as decision-makers. Participants will leave with best practices for fostering experiences in and out of court that elevate youth voice. 

Moderator:

Lisa Kelly, JD – Bobbe and Jon Bridge Professor of Child Advocacy, Emeritus

Lisa Kelly is the Bobbe and Jon Bridge Professor of Child Advocacy, Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Law. She directed the Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic for over 20 years during which time she supervised hundreds of law students in direct representation of children and youth ranging in age from 4 to 25 years old. She is the author of several articles, including “Until the Client Speaks: Reviving the Legal Interest Model for Preverbal Children,” and the narrative textbook, “Representing Youth: Telling Stories, Imagining Change.”

Panelists:

Angela Cook, JD – Team Chief, Children’s Attorneys Project, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada

Angela M. Cook, Esq. is a Team Chief Attorney in the Children’s Attorneys Project at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. She joined Legal Aid Center in 2015 and practices in the area of child welfare. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Law in the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law’s Samuel S. Lionel Externship Program. Angela serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Nevada, Past President of the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association, State Coordinator for Nevada for the National Association of Counsel for Children, and Board Member for the Board of Indigent Services for the Nevada Department of Indigent Defense Services.

Angela’s educational background includes a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She earned her Juris Doctor from the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law in 2013. Angela is licensed to practice law in Nevada and U.S. Federal Court.

Hon. Kathleen Kroll – Judge, 15^th Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida

Judge Kathleen Kroll is a Circuit Court Judge in the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, FL. She was elected to the County Court bench in 1984 and appointed by the Governor to the Circuit Bench in 1994. She presently serves as Administrative Judge in the Juvenile Division and presides over the Early Childhood Court for Palm Beach County. She is a long-standing member of the Florida Supreme Court Steering Committee on Children and Families and serves on the Board of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.

Prior to taking the bench, she was a general litigation attorney for the national law firm of Baskin and Sears in Boca Raton. She spent four years with the Public Defender’s Office where she served as Senior Trial Assistant and Chief of Capital Crimes. In Washington D.C. she worked for the Department of Justice in the Office for the Improvement in the Administration of Justice.

Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, MD, MPH, FAAP – Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, DBP Doc, PLLC

Adiaha Spinks-Franklin is a board-certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, wife, mother, and grandmother. She has over 20 years of experience caring for children, adolescents, and adults with developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions. Her clinical, educational, research, and advocacy expertise are on the impact of racism, ableism, and other traumas on the development, behavior, and health of children. She serves on numerous national pediatric committees. She identifies as Wonder Woman.

CLE

California (60-minute hour)

This participatory activity has been accredited by the State Bar of California for a maximum of 1.5 hours of General credit for live and on-demand participation. Attorneys must sign in for CLE.

Colorado (50‐minute hour)

This course is accredited by the Colorado Board of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education for a maximum of 1.8 units of General credit for live and on-demand participation. Attorneys must sign in for CLE. Colorado is a self-report state.

Attorneys in all other jurisdictions must seek CLE accreditation individually if desired.