Review of Problem-Solving Courts in Maryland

By Kathleen Seifert, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) This semester, the CFCC Student Fellows learned about the importance of employing therapeutic jurisprudence[1] and preventive law[2] to maximize positive, therapeutic outcomes for people involved in various courts. Problem-solving courts “address matters that are under the court’s jurisdiction through a multidisciplinary and integrated approach that incorporates collaboration among court, government,…

The Youth’s Survival Guide in a Concrete Jungle: Early Intervention & Education

By Chelsey Seger, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) The Jungle Book is a story of a young boy who must adapt to his environment to survive. For many children in Baltimore City, their home and social environments resemble a jungle of poverty and violence, and they, too, must adapt their behavior to survive. Imagine that you…

FOR RESTORATIVE PRACTICES, SO NO CHILD CAN BE LEFT BEHIND

By Christelle-grace Lowe, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Zero tolerance policy is a disciplinary approach that allows school authorities to expel students from school without a thorough analysis of the reasons for the behavior that led to the expulsion. For example, under some zero tolerance policies, students found with weapons, alcohol, or drugs are automatically suspended…

Intertwining Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Family Law Attorney

By Taylor LoSchiavo, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Any legal proceeding has the potential to be life changing; however, family law proceedings, in particular, can change the basic family structure for the parties. One family can become two, which could then become three or more families. This is not to suggest that such a division is…

Family Law as a Second Tier Legal Career?

By Samantha Hugo, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Why does society look down on the practice of family law? When did family law practitioners fall into disfavor? Is it because of a misconception that family law cases cover an area that society believes is insignificant? Family law attorneys are often dismissed as social workers in comparison…

Using Preventive Law to Help Avoid Truancy

By Alexandra Hilton, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Truancy in Baltimore City is a major and pervasive problem. Youth are “truant” when they miss school for unexcused reasons, such as inclement weather, family holidays, and babysitting family members, among others. Many believe that the most effective approach to chronic unexcused absence is to punish or coerce…

The Women’s Law Center of Maryland Practicing Preventive Law

By Marleigh Davis, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) When I reflect on what I learned in my first year of law school, what comes to mind is reading and discussing judicial opinions in cases that already had been litigated and decided. What is not often discussed in class is what happens prior to litigation. I interned…

CFCC welcomes ten new Student Fellows for the Fall 2016 Semester

CFCC is excited to begin the new semester with ten second- and third-year law students enrolled in the CFCC Student Fellows Program. This experiential course provides students with an in-depth examination of the policies and theories surrounding family justice system reform and cutting edge issues in family law, including unified family courts, therapeutic jurisprudence, preventive…

Urban Child keynote speaker: We are all our brother’s keepers

By Hope Keller, Director of Communications The University of Baltimore’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts held its Eighth Annual Urban Child conference, “Education and the Urban Child,” on April 7, 2016. Keynote speaker James Cole Jr., general counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, discussed the importance of taking…