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“Let’s Talk About You” | Additional Resources For Lawyers

Essential Learning for your Conversations with Your Child & Youth Clients About Their Identity

“Let’s Talk About You” | An American Bar Association Litigation Section Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, and Lambda Legal Initiative

What's Here

Before talking to your clients about their identities, it is important to have an authentic understanding of the history of the systems in which our clients find themselves as well as an understanding of the communities in which you work. Here are some resources to help get started on this work.

  • Manifestation of White Supremacy in the Institution of Child Welfare (American Bar): (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

     

    Entangled Roots: The Role of Race in Policies that Separate Families (Center for the Study of Social Policy) (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

     

    Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline: Implicit Bias is Heavily Implicated (Kirwan Institute) (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

     

    Repairing the Breach: A Brief History of Youth of Color in the Justice System (W.Haywood Burns Institute for Youth Justice Fairness & Equity) (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

     

    The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story (Human Rights Project for Girls, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty & Inequality, Ms. Foundation for Women) (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

     

    Community Education: Racial Justice for Youth (Defend Racial Justice) (DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT)

     

     

    Special Thanks To:

    American Bar

    Center For the Study of Social Policy

    Defend Racial Justice

    Family Justice Initiative

    Kirwan Institute at Ohio State

    Rights4Girls

    W. Haywood Burns Institute for Youth Justice, Fairness & Equity

  • Interviewing the Child Client: Approaches and Techniques for a Successful Interview (American Bar Association) (WATCH)

     

    Establishing a Trauma-Informed Lawyer-Client Relationship, Pt. 1 (Talia Kraemer and Eliza Patten, American Bar Association Child Law Practice) (GET PART ONE)

     

    Understanding Trauma and its Impact on Child Clients, Pt. 2 (Eva J. Klain, American Bar Association Child Law Practice) (GET PART TWO)

     

    ABA Policy on Trauma-Informed Advocacy for Children and Youth (2014) (DOWNLOAD POLICY)

     

    Counseling Children and Youth in Times of Crisis: Tips to Achieve Success and Avoid Pitfalls (Lauren Girard Adams, Esq. and Maisley Paxton, Ph.D.) (GET FULL REPORT)

     

    Understanding Pronouns: Talking About Pronouns (Human Rights Campaign) (READ ARTICLE)

     

    Black and LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations (The Trevor Project) (GET THE GUIDE)

     

    Special Thanks To:

    American Bar Association

    Human Rights Campaign

    Lauren Girard Adams Esq.

    Maisley Paxton, PhD

    The Trevor Project

  • If you can’t take care of yourself, what makes you think you can take care of me and my needs? –Team Member, Let’s Talk About You Project

     

    Trauma Exposure Response: A Resource for Child Welfare Attorneys (Family Justice Initiative) (GET FULL GUIDE)

     

    Five Steps for Addressing Compassion Fatigue (americanbar.org) (GET FULL GUIDE)

     

    Self-care isn’t selfish and can actually help your performance (abajournal.com) (GET FULL GUIDE)

     

    How to Start Practicing Mindfulness at Work (Aleksandra Masionis) (GET ARTICLE)

     

    100 Ways To Reduce Toxic Stress (American Counseling Association) (GET ARTICLE)

     

    Practical Tip For Addressing Burnout (americanbar.org) ( READ PART ONE & READ PART TWO.)

     

     

    Special Thanks To:

    American Bar Association

    ABA Journal

    Family Justice Initiative

  • Racial Justice for Youth: A Toolkit for Defenders Defend Racial Justice (GET TOOLKIT)

     

    Using Reflective Case Consultation to Battle Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress (READ ARTICLE)

     

    Fighting Institutional Racism at the Front End of Child Welfare Systems (childrensrights.org) (GET REPORT)

     

    Special Thanks To:

    Defend Racial Justice

    Children’sRights.org

    Family Justice Initiative

Context Of Care: The History Of Our Systems

Race & Child Welfare System

Manifestation of White Supremacy in the Institution of Child Welfare (American Bar).

Get Report
CSSP Entangled Roots Report Cover

Family Seperation Policies

Entangled Roots: The Role of Race in Policies that Separate Families (Center for the Study of Social Policy)

GET REPORT
Kirwan Institute Report Cover

Bias & Education System

Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline: Implicit Bias is Heavily Implicated (Kirwan Institute)

GET REPORT
Repairing the Breach Report Cover

Race & The Youth Justice System

Repairing The Breach: A Brief History of Youth of Color in the Justice System (W.Haywood Burns Institute for Youth Justice Fairness & Equity)

GET REPORT
Rights For Girls Report Cover

Gender Violence & The Youth Justice System

The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story (Human Rights Project for Girls, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty & Inequality, Ms. Foundation for Women) (DOWNLOAD REPORT)

GET REPORT
A Toolkit for Defenders | Defend Racial Justice

Racial Equity Toolkit for Lawyers

Community Education: Racial Justice for Youth (Defend Racial Justice)

REQUEST TOOLKIT

Let's Get Real: Resources to Assist in Building Authentic Relationships with Clients

Man sitting at table speaking with young girl in business setting

Interview Approaches and Techniques

Interviewing the Child Client: Approaches and Techniques for a Successful Interview (American Bar Association)

WATCH DEMO

Lawyer-Client Relationship

Establishing a Trauma-Informed Lawyer-Client Relationship, Pt. 1 (Talia Kraemer and Eliza Patten, American Bar Association Child Law Practice)

GET PART ONE
young person with long hair, black shirt, shorts and striped socks smiling walking toward camera in urban landscape

Understanding Trauma

Understanding Trauma and its Impact on Child Clients, Pt. 2 (Eva J. Klain, American Bar Association Child Law Practice)

GET PART TWO

Policy on Trauma-Informed Advocacy

ABA Policy on Trauma-Informed Advocacy for Children and Youth (2014)

GET POLICY
two people sitting together and speaking

Crisis Counseling

Counseling Children and Youth in Times of Crisis: Tips to Achieve Success and Avoid Pitfalls (Lauren Girard Adams, Esq. and Maisley Paxton, Ph.D.)

GET REPORT

Role of Language

Understanding Pronouns: Talking About Pronouns (Human Rights Campaign)

READ ARTICLE

Black and LGBTQ

Black and LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations (The Trevor Project)

GET GUIDE

Self Care For Lawyers

Addressing Trauma Exposure

Trauma Exposure Response: A Resource for Child Welfare Attorneys (Family Justice Initiative)

GET GUIDE
person sitting and smiling in twilight

Restoration

Five Steps for Addressing Compassion Fatigue (americanbar.org)

GET GUIDE

Self Care

Self-care isn’t selfish and can actually help your performance (abajournal.com)

GET GUIDE

Mindfulness

How to Start Practicing Mindfulness at Work (Aleksandra Masionis)

GET ARTICLE
two people enjoying a laugh in nature

Toxic Stress

100 Ways To Reduce Toxic Stress (American Counseling Association)

GET ARTICLE
two people smiling

Battle Burnout

Practical Tip For Addressing Burnout (americanbar.org)

READ PART ONE & TWO

All Together Now: Tools For Racial Equity

Racial Justice for Youth Toolkit Cover

Defenders Toolkit

Racial Justice for Youth: A Toolkit for Defenders Defend Racial Justice

GET TOOLKIT

Battle Burnout

Using Reflective Case Consultation to Battle Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress

READ ARTICLE
young boy smiling wearing backpack and holding notebook

Fighting Institutional Racism

Fighting Institutional Racism at the Front End of Child Welfare Systems (childrensrights.org)

GET REPORT

“Let’s Talk About You”

An American Bar Association Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, Casey Family Programs & Lambda Legal Initiative

Read more about the project background and best practices of “Let’s Talk About You,” including overall framing and key issues of identity and transparency. Access  a variety of resources to support how you communicate with and advocate for your clients.

GO TO PROJECT HOME

Special Thanks To Our Project Team

 

Shèàr Avory, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation, National Association of Counsel for Children

Brit Brown-Christopher, Alumnus, Youth Fostering Change, Juvenile Law Center

Currey Cook, Director, Youth in Out of Home Care Project, Lambda Legal

Yojana Giron Perez, Mid-South Immigration Advocates, Memphis, TN

Jen Ha, National Advisory Council on Children’s Legal Representation, National Association of Counsel for Children

Marcía Hopkins, Senior Manager, Youth Advocacy Program & Policy, Juvenile Law Center

Cathy Krebs, Committee Director, ABA Litigation Section Children’s Rights Litigation Committee

Marco R. Martinez, Youth Organizing Coordinator, NMCAN, Albuquerque, NM

Selena Moreno, NMCAN, Albuquerque, NM

Cristal Ramirez, Youth Coordinator, National Association of Counsel for Children

Anthony Simpson, Alumni Fellow, Youth Fostering Change, Juvenile Law Center

Veronica Virgen-Williams, Staff Attorney, Mid-South Immigration Advocates, Memphis, TN

Maia Zelkind, Paralegal, Youth in Out of Home Care Project, Lambda Legal

 

This resource was made possible in collaboration with Casey Family Programs, whose mission is to provide, improve – and ultimately prevent the need for – foster care.

The views expressed herein have not been approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association and, accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association.  Nothing contained in on this website is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for specific cases, and readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel.

 

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