Children's Law Clinic
The Children’s Law Clinic provides free legal advice, advocacy, and legal representation to low-income, at-risk children in cases involving special education, school discipline, and children’s disability benefits.
The clinic is staffed by Duke Law students who bring their compassion, commitment, and energy to the task of advocating for at-risk children. One of the few programs in North Carolina with expertise in special education and school discipline law, it has represented hundreds of children from a wide region around Durham since its establishment in 2002. Most cases involve children with disabilities and other special needs who have been unable to get appropriate special education services or who are facing long-term suspensions from school. The clinic also helps families establish eligibility for important public benefit programs or find ways to live in more stable family situations. Students work directly with the child as well as families, schools, social workers, and health professionals to resolve issues and ensure the child’s well-being.
The Children’s Law Clinic has an active role in the Medical-Legal Partnership for Families in Durham. Partnering with Legal Aid of North Carolina, Duke Primary Care for Children, and Lincoln Community Health Clinic, the clinic provides legal help in a wide range of issues that affect the overall well-being of its clients. Doctors and other professionals refer their patients to the clinic to provide holistic support for the child and his or her family. As a team, the medical provider and legal provider can help a disabled child obtain needed benefits or avoid losing them.
The Children's Law Clinic, in partnership with staff and parent researchers of the Education Justice Alliance (EJA), released a report on the use of early grade suspension in North Carolina. The report (Community Report: Too Young To Suspend) examines the harmful practice of suspending young children in North Carolina, revealing new data on K-2nd grade suspensions and highlighting novel policy efforts by states and local school districts to limit the use of these early grade suspensions.
Informed by the perspectives of directly impacted parents and community stakeholders, the report outlines recommendations for reducing early grade suspension in North Carolina, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and ongoing data collection, monitoring, and oversight. This report was made possible thanks to generous funding from The Duke Endowment, the Duke Office of Durham & Community Affairs, the Duke School of Medicine and the School of Nursing, and the Duke Office of the Provost.
Law in Action: The Clinic Experience
Associate Clinical Professor Crystal Grant, director of the Children's Law Clinic at Duke, and Clinical Professor Peggy Nicholson, supervising attorney for the clinic, talk about the clinic's work, how students get involved, the skills that students learn, and their favorite part about leading the clinic.
The clinic provides free legal advice, advocacy, and legal representation to low-income, at-risk children in cases involving special education, school discipline, and children’s disability benefits.
