Children's Justice Attorney Education Fellowship Program

There is nothing juvenile about practicing law in juvenile court. The Children's Justice Attorney Education Fellowship Program (CJAE) acknowledges precisely how difficult this work is for even the most experienced practitioner. To be highly effective, you must be well versed in civil, criminal, and juvenile law. What's even more challenging is that understanding statutes and case law is not enough! Attorneys must have a deep understanding of the complex social and family dynamics often present in juvenile court cases including substance use, mental health disorders, trauma, and domestic violence. This job is tough, and we are here to help!

In 2021, the Children's Justice Attorney Education Fellowship Program was created to provide a holistic approach to educating and supporting attorneys in Nebraska rural communities. Over eight months, Children's Justice Fellows will learn how to be high quality advocates through extensive training, expert case consultation and reflective practice. This is not your traditional CLE, instead participants will see real meaningful change through consultation with experts and mentors. 

This program is intended to help attorneys become better advocates and thus, help the children and families they serve. Even better, attorneys will be paid for participation. Every Children's Justice Fellow will receive a stipend and travel expenses for their participation.

How is the Children's Justice Attorney Education Fellowship Program different than a traditional CLE program?

• Extensive Training. Fellows will attend four in-person workshops. Each workshop is designed to provide active and experiential learning to enhance your knowledge surrounding the legal framework and social factors in child welfare and youth justice. Fellows will gain invaluable insight into the subjects necessary to become strong advocates in juvenile court.  
• Case Consultation. The Children’s Justice Attorney Education Fellowship Program is designed for attorneys to have access to local child welfare and juvenile justice experts to address an array of legal issues involved in juvenile court cases.
  • Multidisciplinary Teams. Fellows will meet individually with their Multidisciplinary Team consisting of a lawyer with juvenile court expertise and a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner.
  • Specialized Expertise. Beyond Multidisciplinary Teams, fellows will have access to additional experts to help navigate the complexities of the juvenile system.
• Reflective Practice. Reflective practice is a relationship-based practice that assists in mitigating the effects of emotionally intrusive work by helping individuals examine their current and past actions, emotions, experiences and responses to evaluate their performance and learn to improve in the future. This process relies on using people's own experiences to help them become more resilient in the face of work stress. There is no question that the issues present in juvenile court cases can create this type of work, and even personal, stress. Fellows will participate in reflective practice with each other, facilitated by a reflective practitioner.