"It’s not just about having representation but about having quality advocacy for children," said Gerard Glynn, an associate law professor at Barry and director of the school's in-house clinical programs. With its specialty in children and family law, Barry is ideally positioned to host and develop the new Center, along with its partners, the Florida Public Defender Association, Southern Juvenile Defender Center, National Juvenile Defender Center, Florida Bar Association and the Administrative Office of the Courts. "We’re committed to training our soon-to-be lawyers and also to providing a service to the community," said Glynn. The Center intends to: train advocates; provide consulting services to juvenile lawyers; improve resources available to public defenders' offices; and train future juvenile defenders through Barry's law school. In December, the Center held its first bi-annual statewide training sessions for juvenile lawyers across Florida. The Center also will hold a monthly conference call for child advocates which eventually will be available on its web site, scheduled to go "live" in a few weeks. Law students and juvenile lawyers listen to Glynn at the December Trial Skills Training Session. The Juvenile Justice Center also plans to provide juvenile defenders advice about expert psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists in Florida who can assist them in court. "Our staff can provide assistance in choosing experts that are sensitive to the developmental needs of juveniles," said Glynn. The Center will also use its network and resources to provide support to public defenders' offices across the state. "We would be providing best practices models from across the state," said Glynn. "And we hope to offer individualized recommendations based on each office’s needs." The Center will work with the legislature to reduce the high number of cases referred by the school system to the juvenile courts by supporting laws that reduce the number of referrals from schools to the court system and examining better diversionary programs. The Center also will tackle another persistent problem in the juvenile defense system: many public defenders' offices use juvenile court as a training ground, transferring lawyers out as they gain experience. "Juvenile court is not a place where lawyers go to stay," said Glynn. To tackle this long-term problem, the Center is working with third-year law students and young lawyers who are representing children in the court system with the goal of creating the next generation of juvenile child advocates.   [back to topics]