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If you want to prepare for a career in Family and Juvenile Law these are suggested courses to take, recommended career-path experiences to have, and bar examination factors to consider.

WHAT LAWYERS WHO PRACTICE IN THIS FIELD DO

Family and/or juvenile lawyers help manage legal problems between persons with familial relationships.

• These issues can include paternity, guardianship, juvenile delinquency, emancipation, domestic violence, divorce, custody, child support, division of property, adoption, and elder law issues.

• Lawyers who practice in the area of family and/or juvenile law can work in a variety of settings, including law firms, courts, nonprofit organizations, or governmental entities.

• Lawyers who work in a law firm or public interest organization can represent a parent or a child in family law or juvenile proceedings, while lawyers who work for a government entity can investigate dependency, neglect and abuse proceedings, or prosecute juvenile delinquency proceedings.

• Lawyers can also serve as family and/or juvenile-court judges, or as staff attorneys for judges.

COURSES THAT CAN PREPARE YOU

The Chase curriculum requires foundational courses for all students and offers additional courses for specialized expertise.

Required

• Family Law
• Wills & Trusts

Advanced

• Elder Law
• Juvenile Law
• Bankruptcy
• Poverty Law
• Sexuality, Identity, and the Law
• Domestic Violence Seminar

Skills

• Domestic Violence Prosecution and Trial
• Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiating
• Mediation

Experiential

• Children’s Law Center Clinic

FACULTY MEMBERS WHO TEACH FAMILY AND JUVENILE LAW-RELATED COURSES

Professors

• Sharlene Graham
• Amy Halbrook
• Jack Harrison
• Ljubomir Nacev
• Henry Stephens

Adjunct Faculty Members

• Robert Goering Jr.
• Joseph Mordino
• Col Owens

CAREER PATH EXPERIENCES THAT CAN SET YOU APART

Here are some of the ways in which to develop necessary practice skills.

• Complete an internship or externship with a family law attorney, prosecutor, or family and/or juvenile-court judge.
• Participate in the Children’s Law Clinic, and obtain a limited law license to represent clients in juvenile or family law cases under attorney supervision.
• Complete an internship or externship with a legal aid, juvenile law center, or other nonprofit organization assisting clients with family and juvenile law matters.
• Complete a skills or seminar course to develop advocacy skills.
• Take advantage of networking opportunities to meet lawyers practicing in the area of family and juvenile law.
• Volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
• Shadow family or juvenile law attorneys to learn more about this area of practice.

BAR EXAMINATION FACTOR

Although some jurisdictions, including Kentucky, include essay questions about Family Law on their bar exams, these topics are not tested in the multiple choice component of the bar.

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