450 N Syndicate St, Suite 340, St. Paul, MN 55104 info@clcmn.org 651-644-4438

Tag: foster youth

Law center serves foster youth – Minnesota Lawyer

“…The need for volunteer attorneys is greater than ever. [Lilia] Panteleeva stresses that no prior experience is needed, just compassion for the kids. She has worked with attorneys who have no courtroom experience, or work in practices as far removed… Read More

Spring 2021 COVID Updates for Youth in Foster Care

Our clients face many barriers to housing and stability, and are most vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic, unemployment and America’s reckoning with race. CLC is working closely with the courts to address the needs of our… Read More

Legal Advocacy for Youth During COVID-19

CLC’s focus is to continue our services while being safe regarding COVID-19. CLC legal team and volunteer attorneys continue to regularly connect with clients via facetime and phone calls, and submit motions as needed. We know that youth… Read More

McKenna’s Law

Minnesota children who are subjects of a juvenile protection petition have a right to a lawyer … and if a child desires a lawyer, the court shall appoint a lawyer to represent the child who is ten years of age or order.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: JESSICA KERR

Jessica is a relatively new volunteer attorney with CLC. In 2011, along with several other Medtronic Attorneys, Jessica became involved with CLC. Jessica currently represents an older foster care youth and her representation of this youth has been outstanding.

Volunteer Attorney SPOTLIGHT: Wendy Watson

Wendy is a long standing CLC volunteer. She completed her training in 1997 and took her first case in 1998. She usually takes children with significant development disabilities and special needs. Given her clients’ significant needs, Wendy ensures that she has all her clients relevant assessments and case information, she connects with their special education teachers and resources and uses developmentally appropriate language to ensure her clients understand her role. She has represented 20 CLC clients and currently has three.

Daniel’s Story: Making “The System” Work

Daniel spent most of his childhood shuffling between shelters and his biological parent’s home. His parents were unable to care for him and his siblings. At times when Daniel had no one else, his aunt and uncle provided an unconditional support system. Daniel moved in with his aunt and uncle and found a wonderful, stable, permanent home there. However…

Foster Youth & Identity Theft

New legislation was adopted and went into effect on 10.1.2011 to aide in protecting foster youth from identity theft. The “Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act” added a new section to 42 U.S.C. 675(5) concerning foster youth ID theft.

Max’s Story

Max has been fighting an uphill battle from the beginning. Like many foster children he is a victim of abuse and neglect by both of his parents. Following placement in emergency protective custody it became evident that Max would need indefinite care away from his biological parents. From a young age Max has displayed significant developmental and behavioral issues as a result of his chaotic young life. Aggressive outbursts coupled with low socialization skills, need for constant supervision, and difficulty in educational settings made finding a placement for him very problematic. Max has frequently moved and in the past decade has seen more than a dozen placements.

Andrea’s Story

My first memory is my mom slapping me. I lived with her when I was little, but I don’t remember much else about her. When I was 5, I was sent to live with my dad and my Nana.