As I have mentioned throughout my blogs, I am a 2016 ChildLaw Fellow. Every year the Civitas ChildLaw Center selects a class of fellows from the incoming students who “seek a law degree in order to advocate for children in their careers.” My class has six fellows and you already met Jenessy. To learn a little bit more about the program check out this video.
The Nuts and Bolts
As a ChildLaw Fellow, we do have a few requirements. In addition to the JD core curriculum, we have a special children’s curriculum, which has its own required core classes and electives.
The core classes give us the specialized training to become effective child and family advocates. Also, the electives allow us to specialize within children’s rights. For example, many of the 2016 fellows are passionate about children and education. They will be interested in courses like Special Education Law or Practice of School Law. I would like to focus on girls’ issues internationally. So International Children’s Rights is a class that sparks my interest. As a result, we will all graduate with the Child and Family Law Certificate.
In addition to the curriculum, we are required to complete two internships working with children in some capacity throughout our three years. Again, Fellows are allowed much flexibility so we can explore our various interests. We have had students working all around the world from UNICEF Ghana to right here at home in the juvenile court systems of Chicago. Fellows have clerked, interned, litigated, defended, prosecuted, and created policy.
In return for our rigorous training and devotion, we receive an annual tuition scholarship during the academic year. We also receive an additional stipend for the summer after the first year to assist with living expenses for our first summer internship. Despite popular notions that lawyers make the big bucks, very few Fellows will be compensated for their work. The Center provides us with this money to make it financially feasible to serve children. That way we can all pursue our dreams without having to take out more loans to make it through the summer.
The Community
Being a ChildLaw Fellow has meant making a commitment to children’s rights in exchange for support and a community of passionate people. Starting during orientation, I felt the love of the ChildLaw Center bringing me in. On the second day of orientation, the fellows had a lunch meeting with the Director Bruce Boyer and Associate Director Stacy Platt to welcome us and to answer any questions. We were also assigned a Big Sibling, an older Fellow to serve as a mentor. The second week of school my big sibling and her big sibling took me out for a drink to get to know me a little bit better.
One of my favorite experiences was our visit to the juvenile court house. Halfway through the semester Professor Bruce Boyer took the new class of Fellows to the courthouse for the morning to observe both custody and criminal cases. It was a great way to remind us why we went to law school and stay connected to the issues. The visit rejuvenated me. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the stresses of being a 1L, but the visit puts life back into perspective.
Lastly, the ChildLaw alumni are fantastic and work really hard to help out the new Fellows. For example, today we had an alumnus who works for UNICEF Sierra Leone come talk to us during lunch. He spoke of his current job and his career path and gave us some really great advice. I have also reached out by email to other alumni for some ideas for summer internships. They have all been extremely helpful and one is even helping me write my cover letter.
I have loved my experience as a ChildLaw Fellow and it was one the main reasons I chose Loyola. It supports me both financially and personally to achieve my goals and to make the world better for children. Through the Coffee Talks, the courthouse visit, meeting with alumni, and the symposium, I am constantly growing and learning.
Questions for Amie? Email law-admissions [at] luc [dot] edu with the subject “Ask Amie” and she will make sure to answer them.