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Legal Services for Children: 50 Years of Youth Advocacy
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Certificate in Child Advocacy

Legal Services for Children has designed an internship track that will lead to a Certificate in Child Advocacy upon graduation from law school.

Ultimately, the program is intended to increase the number of qualified and committed child advocates serving Bay Area organizations — first as interns and later as staff attorneys.

These future child advocates will receive:

  • Educational guidance and resources to help map out a plan for law school
  • A credential to support them as they enter a competitive job market
  • A stipend of $1,000 to offset the burden of out-of-pocket bar preparation courses and bar exam fees (stipends will not be disbursed to students whose fees will be covered by other sources, such as scholarships or law firm employers)

To be eligible for the certificate, students must complete:

  • An internship with LSC
  • Two additional internships with legal clinics, current organizational partners, juvenile public defenders, or other qualifying child advocacy organizations
  • Appropriate juvenile and family law course work through their law schools

Current organizational partners include:

  • Berkeley School of Law Youth and Education Law Society
  • Juvenile Public Defender’s Office
  • Legal Advocates for Children and Youth
  • National Center for Youth Law
  • The Pacific Juvenile Defender Center
  • Disability Rights California
  • USF Criminal Juvenile Defense Clinic and Child Advocacy Clinic
  • Youth and Education Law Project, Stanford Legal Clinic
  • Youth Law Center

Application Process

You may apply for LSC’s Certificate in Child Advocacy in your final semester of law school and after completing an internship with LSC. You will need to complete an application, including:

  • List of all relevant internship, clinic, and coursework experiences
  • Attached letters verifying successful completion of internships
  • Proof of payment of bar preparation and/or exam fees (to receive the stipend)
  • Completed W-9 form attached to online application

Applications are now open – application deadline extended to April 25, 2025.

Apply for the Certificate in Child Advocacy by completing the online application form.

For more information about this program, contact Senior Attorney David White.

Bilingual/bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. To promote social justice and best serve our clients, LSC is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing services with cultural humility. We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion and ensuring a workplace where staff can flourish and grow professionally and well beyond. We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups including BIPOC and LGBTQ people to apply.

LSC gratefully recognizes the Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation for their support of this Certificate Program.