Updated: Nov. 26, 2024

Juvenile Law Section

The Juvenile Law Section provides an opportunity for legal professionals who work with juveniles and their families in child welfare and juvenile justice to meet together and work collaboratively on issues facing their clients. Areas of legal practice the section addresses include child welfare, juvenile justice, status offenses, immigration as it relates to children and families, truancy, at-risk youth and children in need of services proceedings, as well as a variety of civil legal needs of youth. The Section welcomes advocates from all interested disciplines and a variety of fields of law, including juvenile justice, child welfare, and those who represent youth in civil legal practice.

The Section provides benefits to members by sponsoring an annual CLE focusing on current developments in the area of juvenile law. The Section also acts as an agent of change to improve the law and practice related to civil and criminal matters involving children and youth in Washington state. 

Annual Report  |   Budget  |   Bylaws  |  Year in Review  |  Elections  |  Meeting Minutes  |  Executive Committee Biographies

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The Juvenile Law Section offers many resources and benefits for members. On this page you will find information about the section, their upcoming events and offerings, as well as information about the section's executive committee.

Upcoming Programs

Awards & Scholarships

Member Benefits

Warm Hand Off List

Join Our List Serve

Executive Committee

Executive Committee Meetings



Upcoming Programs

Check back here for the latest upcoming programs and offerings from the Juvenile Law Section.

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Awards/Scholarships

Children's Justice Conference Scholarship Award Winners

Congratulations to Christina Sorenson and Delaina Bolich, the recipients of our two Children's Justice Conference $300 scholarship awards! Christina is an attorney at TeamChild with an interest in furthering her education around the laws and policies relevant to her work in her current position. Delaina is a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Franklin County in the Juvenile Division with a background as a probation officer, and she has an interest in networking with others who are interested in creating innovative solutions to help at-risk youth in her community.

We are looking forward to hearing from Christina and Delaina on their experience at the Children's Justice Conference!

Congratulations again!

If you are interested in learning more about the Children's Justice Conference, please go to the conference website at dcyfcjc.com.

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Member Benefits

A full list of member benefits is coming soon!

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Warm Hand Off List

Hello Juvenile Law Section Members! Below is a list of attorneys working in various fields that frequently overlap with juvenile law. Please reach out to them for a nudge in the right direction on related issues in one of your cases or for general questions if you're interested in joining the field.

Remember that these folks are volunteers, so please be respectful of their time and assistance.

Please let the Young Lawyer Liaison for the Juvenile Law Section know if there is an area not listed here for which you need help finding a volunteer question-answerer or if you are that willing volunteer!

Practice AreaNameEmail
Employment law for minors:Colin McHughcmchugh@navigatelawgrouop.com
Tort law for minor plaintiffs:Myrna Lunamyrna.luna@comcast.net
Criminal law for minor defendants:Laura Mapeslaura@mapeslawoffice.com
Trustee law for minor trustees:Allison Foremanallison@fhbzlaw.com
Guardianship for minors:Anastasia Blakleyanastasia@everbluelaw.org
Civil Rights law for minor plaintiffs:Prachi Daveprachi.dave@civilsurvival.org

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Executive Committee

Chair: Bailey Zydek (2024-2025)

Chair-Elect: James M. Richardson III (2024-2025)

Immediate Past-Chair: James M. Richardson III (2024-2025)

Secretary: Marci Comeau (2024-2025)

Treasurer: Jeffrey Bennett Adams (2024-2025)

Young Lawyer Liaison: Anastasia Clark (2023-2025)

Board of Governors Liaison*: Kari Petrasek (2024-2025)

* Nonvoting member

To learn more about your Executive Committee Members, check out the Biographies page.

 

 

At-Large Members:
Kari Petrasek (2024-2025)
Vacant (2024-2025)

CLE/Outreach Coordinator:
Daria Spartan (2024-2025)

Civil Legal Needs Committee Co-Director:
Katherine Kameron (2024-2025)
Vacant (2024-2025)

Dependency & Child Welfare Committee Co-Directors:
Kaelen H. Brodie (2024-2025)
Nancy Ann Beckford (2024-2025)

Juvenile Justice Committee Co-Director:
Matthew Stookey (2024-2025)
Vacant (2024-2025)

Legislative Committee Co-Director:
Jeffrey Bennett Adams (2024-2025)
Vacant (2024-2025)

Law School Representatives*: TBD

Executive Committee Meetings

The WSBA Juvenile Law Executive Committee generally conducts meetings by videoconference from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Meetings are hosted on Zoom and are open to all section members and members of the public.

See the Juvenile Law Section's event calendar listing for log-in information. Please contact subcommittee members for details on their upcoming meeting dates and locations.

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Join Our List Serve

To join the section list serve and for general section questions, please send your email address and Bar number to sections@wsba.org. For more information and to get involved with the section, contact the section Chair Bailey Zydek.

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