Update as of July 2025
The Children’s Justice Clinic and the Children’s Justice Attorney Education program were long-standing projects of the Center on Children, Families, and the Law (CCFL), dedicated to improving legal advocacy and outcomes for Nebraska’s most vulnerable children.
As of July 2025, these initiatives have expanded and transitioned into an independent center: the Nebraska Children’s Justice and Legal Advocacy Center. This new center builds on the strong foundation established at CCFL and continues to focus on enhancing legal representation, education, and systemic advocacy for children involved in the legal system.
For updated information, resources, and future initiatives, please visit the Nebraska Children’s Justice and Legal Advocacy Center’s new website: https://ncjc.unl.edu/.
The Children’s Justice Clinic (CJC) is a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center on Children, Families, and the Law and Nebraska Law to train third-year law students to serve as guardians ad litem (GAL) in Nebraska’s Juvenile Court System through clinical education. The CJC, led by Director Michelle Paxton, J.D., delivers a holistic and experiential learning environment. Law students are educated and mentored by experts as they represent their child clients and interact with the social workers and mental health professionals involved in juvenile court cases. CCFL offers consultation with a multidisciplinary team of practitioners in psychology, child welfare, social work, and mental health. Law students participating in the CJC gain the specialized knowledge and skills needed to provide children with the high-quality representation and advocacy they deserve.
The Children’s Justice Attorney Education program (CJAE) was created by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center on Children, Families, and the Law and Nebraska Law. This innovative fellowship program provides extensive training, expert case consultation, and reflective practice to transform legal representation for vulnerable children across the state. Michelle Paxton, Director of the Children’s Justice Clinic (CJC) and the CJAE, developed the program based on the CJC’s successful approach, which provides comprehensive training to law students as they become Guardians ad Litem. Similarly, the attorney program improves the availability and quality of legal representation for children and families in rural communities, including underrepresented low-income, Latinx, and Indigenous populations. The CJAE partners with Legal Aid Nebraska to assist in program development and management. The CJAE works to educate and empower rural attorneys to become high-quality child welfare advocates across Nebraska.