Joshua B. Kay, ​‘08, is co-direc­tor of the Work­ers’ Rights Clin­ic and a clin­i­cal pro­fes­sor of law in the Child Advo­ca­cy Law Clin­ic. He also has taught in the Child Wel­fare Appel­late Clinic.

Kay has litigated numerous child abuse and neglect cases in trial courts, the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the Michigan Supreme Court. His primary interests are at the intersection of disability law and child protection law.

Before earning his JD, he served as an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he studied the cognitive and developmental impacts of pediatric traumatic brain injury and was an attending psychologist and member of the ethics committee at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He also taught courses in clinical assessment and supervised the clinical work of graduate students in the Department of Psychology.

After law school, Kay joined Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service as a Skadden Fellow, receiving a certificate of appreciation from the University of Michigan Council for Disability Concerns for his representation of parents with disabilities in child welfare matters.

Relat­ed Information

Education
  • Ober­lin Col­lege, BA, with high hon­ors, Phi Beta Kap­pa, R.H. Stet­son Award in Psy­chol­o­gy and Psychobiology 
  • Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan, MA, PhD, psy­chol­o­gy, Regents’ Fellow 
  • Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan, JD, cum laude

    • Recent Courses

    Fea­tured Scholarship

    "From Zero to Thrive: A Model of Cross-System and Cross-Sector Relational Health to Promote Early Childhood Development across the Child-Serving Ecosystem"

    Infant Mental Health Journal
    MLaw Repository WWW

    "Mental Health Evaluations and Treatment for Parents and Children"

    Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and State Agencies in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases

    "Advocating for Children with Disabilities in Child Protection Cases"

    Touro Law Review
    MLaw RepositoryHEIN
    • Children and the Law

    "New Juvenile Discovery Rules: Mandatory, Comprehensive, and Streamlined"

    Michigan Bar Journal
    MLaw Repository
    • Children and the Law
    See All Scholarship
    Activ­i­ties
    Octo­ber 2019
    Pre­sent­ed ​“The Impor­tance of High-Qual­i­­ty Fos­ter Care Review Boards” at the Michi­gan State Court Admin­is­tra­tive Office’s annu­al Fos­ter Care Review Board train­ing, Mt. Pleas­ant, Michigan.
    Octo­ber 2019
    Pre­sent­ed ​“Under­stand­ing the Legal Sys­tem and Tes­ti­fy­ing in Court” at the 38th Annu­al Michi­gan Statewide Con­fer­ence on Child Abuse and Neglect, Ply­mouth, Michigan.
    Sep­tem­ber 2019
    Gave a child wel­fare law update for the Michi­gan Court of Appeals, Detroit.
    March 2019
    Pre­sent­ed ​“Top 20 Child Wel­fare Cas­es Every­one Should Know” at the Michi­gan Appel­late Bench-Bar Con­fer­ence, Ply­mouth, Michigan.