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 | CLE Recordings
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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 ProgramsAwards & ScholarshipsMember BenefitsWarm Hand Off List | Join Our List ServeExecutive CommitteeExecutive Committee Meetings |
Upcoming Programs
Application Portal and Voting Timeline Have Been Postponed!
For more information about the new timeline, head over to the Juvenile Law Section Election Page.
If you have any questions, please email sections@wsba.org.
NEW! CLE Recordings Page
The Juvenile Law Section will be posting recordings of their CLEs to their new CLE Recordings page. If you missed any of the CLEs presented by the Juvenile Law Section, you'll be able to see those recordings on the CLE Recordings page afterwards.
Note: videos are not accredited for CLE credit and will only be available for up to one year after the recording date.
NEW Webinar: Trauma 101
Developed in partnership with the WSBA Juvenile Law Section
In this webinar, you will learn—what is trauma exactly? The term is used constantly, but not always understood in regard to behavior of kids and adults. The training answers this question by defining the 6 levels of trauma, how trauma affects children, and what professionals can do to assist youth. The presentation will heighten the participant's awareness of kids' cues so they will know what to expect when a child experiences trauma triggers. Content in part developed by National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
When: April 18, 2025
Time: Noon–1:30 p.m. PT
Credits: 1.50 Other
NEW Webinar: Childhood Development & the Impact of Trauma on the Brain and Behaviors
Developed in partnership with the WSBA Juvenile Law Section
Facilitated by Zia Freeman, Ma, LMHC Community Educator with Coordinated Care, this training provides information on key areas of childhood development; social, cognitive, and physical development are all explored. The training focuses on how complex trauma affects development at various ages of youth. It will also introduce participants to the functions of the brain, the effects of the brain's mirror neurons, and how the brain hemispheres impact specific behaviors. Explained in a fun and simple way with ideas to share with youth of all ages about how their unique brain sometimes has a "mind of its own!" Brain function content uses the teachings of Dan Siegel, MD.
When: May 9, 2025
Time: Noon–1:30 p.m. PT
Credits: 1.50 Other
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.
Member Benefits
A full list of member benefits is coming soon!
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 Area | Name | |
| Employment law for minors: | Colin McHugh | cmchugh@navigatelawgrouop.com |
| Tort law for minor plaintiffs: | Myrna Luna | myrna.luna@comcast.net |
| Criminal law for minor defendants: | Laura Mapes | laura@mapeslawoffice.com |
| Trustee law for minor trustees: | Allison Foreman | allison@fhbzlaw.com |
| Guardianship for minors: | Anastasia Blakley | anastasia@everbluelaw.org |
| Civil Rights law for minor plaintiffs: | Prachi Dave | prachi.dave@civilsurvival.org |
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: CLE/Outreach Coordinator: Civil Legal Needs Committee Co-Director: Dependency & Child Welfare Committee Co-Directors: Juvenile Justice Committee Co-Director: Legislative Committee Co-Director: 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.
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.
