Welcome

Welcome to the Child Advocacy Law Clinic (CALC), the oldest child welfare law clinic in the country in which law students, under the supervision of experienced faculty members, represent children, parents, and other parties in foster-care proceedings. Created in 1976, CALC has represented thousands of families involved in the child-welfare system and has trained thousands of students who now serve in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations, state and local government agencies, and private firms. CALC graduates often rank their involvement in the clinic as the most formative experience in their legal education.

In addition to directly representing families in trial court proceedings, students in the clinic have drafted statutes, conducted trainings, written articles, and handled appeals. The work of the students and faculty has led to systemic reform on both the state and national level and has earned the praise of judges, policy makers, and others.

Featured News

In addition to teaching clinical and doctrinal courses at the Law School, clinic faculty are actively involved in practical child welfare work—including representing clients in trial and appellate proceedings, drafting reports for foundations and governmental agencies, presenting at state and national conferences, and writing articles and editorial pieces. Below is a sampling of recent news.

• Prof. Don Duquette was the keynote speaker and moderator at Oregon's statewide conference, "Best Practices in Juvenile Dependency," held Oct. 15-16, 2012, in Eugene.
• On Oct. 11, 2012, the Michigan Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect presented Prof. Don Duquette with the Erney Moore Award for "unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of children and families in Michigan." The award signifies "help and assistance which has been given generously, ungrudgingly, and in the spirit of self-sacrifice."
• Prof. Don Duquette gave a comprehensive progress report on the National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Counsel for Children on Aug. 16, 2012, in Chicago.
• Prof. Vivek Sankaran spoke to Michigan Radio about class biases in the foster care sytem. He also commented on the differences between Michigan and Maryland's child-welfare systems in The Washington Post.
• WXYZ Action News interviewed Prof. Josh Kay on illegal removals of children from their homes in Detroit.
• Prof. Vivek Sankaran was awarded a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to study the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Foster Children.
• Prof. Vivek Sankaran was appointed to the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty.

The Student Experience

"The Child Advocacy Law Clinic gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on legal experience with the help of supportive and spirited faculty. I was immersed in an environment where intellect met zeal, which inspired me to welcome challenging legal issues and embrace the volatility of trial-court practice. I would not have much of the determination and skill that I employ in my career today were it not for my participation in CALC at Michigan Law."
—Atasi Satpathy, '11, Committee for Public Counsel Services

"The Child Advocacy Law Clinic operates not like a class, but like a law firm. While the professors are there to help with your cases, they're rarely going to just tell you what to do. This puts a huge power and an accompanying responsibility into your hands. You will appear in court. You will negotiate with opposing counsel. The arguments you make have the power to sway an actual judge. The outcome can literally change a client's life."
—Yonatan Berkovits, '10, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

"The Child Advocacy Law Clinic provides students with a profound and real-life legal experience that is hard to come by in law school. The clinic tasks students the invaluable, unique, and hands-on responsibility of interfacing with clients, opposing counsel, judges, and government employees. On a deeply satisfying personal level, students are privileged to perform the lawyer's ultimate task—counseling those in need."
—Adir Greenfeld, '09, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP

"While I learned how to 'think' like a lawyer in my substantive law classes, CALC helped me learn what it means to actually 'be' a lawyer who has clients depending on her."
—Ashley Thompson, '09, Schiff Hardin LLP

Contact Us

The Child Advocacy Law Clinic represents parents, children, foster parents, and relatives involved in the foster-care system. We primarily practice in one of the following counties: Washtenaw, Genesee, Livingston, and Wayne. If you have a case and would like us to represent you or want more information about our work, please call 734.763.5000. We do not charge for our services.