Student blogger:
Jaryn Saritzky (’14)

 

Before I started law school, I had two pretty great jobs as a summer camp counselor and a nanny. It goes without saying that I love hanging out with kids. Although I did not know exactly how it would materialize, I came to law school to be part of children’s advocacy in some way. That way ended up being in the dependency system.

Any time that allegations of abuse or neglect are made against parents, the case is heard in dependency court. Sometimes these children are removed from the care of their parents and placed with relatives or in foster care. Other times, the court deems it safe for the children to remain in the care of their parents so long as they continue to be supervised by the Department of Children and Family Services and/or the court.

Throughout my time at Chapman, I have had internships during which I advocated for relative caregivers of children in the dependency system in benefits appeals cases, advocated for a child with special education needs, and worked with a dependency judge.

This summer, I am a law clerk at the Children’s Law Center at Edelman’s Children’s Court in Monterey Park. Edelman’s is a Los Angeles County Superior Court that only hears dependency cases.

Edelman’s Children’s Court is unique. The building was designed to make the experience of coming to court a little less traumatizing for children. The walls are covered in children’s artwork. Courtrooms have posters and decorations. Many children wait for their cases to be called by the court in Shelter Care, an enormous play area with toys, televisions, video games, pool tables, basketball courts and a playground. Parts of it even remind me a little of summer camp. Each floor has art projects that children can do while they wait outside the courtrooms. When children come in a courtroom, each gets a teddy bear and a book. Judges ask about school and their summer plans.

I often describe the attorneys who work at Children’s Law Center as public defenders for children: every child in the Los Angeles dependency system is represented by a Children’s Law Center attorney. I work under the supervision of two of these attorneys. Both have unique and successful advocacy and working styles.

At orientation, law clerks were told that we would not be asked to do anything that attorneys do not do themselves. My supervisors have told me that they want me to have the opportunity to do everything that they do. This includes interviewing clients by phone or in person, making courtroom appearances, preparing cases for hearings, organizing files and much more.

There are unique challenges that come with representing minors. Is it more detrimental for a child to enter the foster care system, or live with parents who have been accused of neglect? When should a child have a say in the outcome of the case?

I do not think these challenges become easier with time, but my supervisors have shown me that attorneys can become better prepared to tackle them. Dependency law has proven to be the perfect way to combine my passion for the law and working with children, even after my summer camp days are long over.

 

About the Author:
Jaryn Saritzky (3L) is originally from Los Angeles, and graduated from UC San Diego in 2010 with a degree in Political Science and Critical Gender Studies. Since starting Chapman, she has been involved in Moot Court, Nexus Journal of Law & Policy and the Public Interest Law Foundation. She has especially enjoyed getting to know the professors, and working with first year students as an Academic Fellow. Jaryn plans to pursue a career in dependency law and children’s rights.

The views expressed in the student blogs are those of the author and not the law school.