Stephen M. Cahn - Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
Beginning in the fall of 2013, the NACC will present the Annual NACC Stephen Cahn Outstanding Young Lawyer Award to a young lawyer who has been in practice for five years or less and who has made a significant contribution to the well being of children through legal representation or other advocacy efforts. Nominees’ accomplishments may include work in child welfare, juvenile justice, private custody and adoption or policy advocacy. The award will be given annually at the NACC’s National Conference. It consists of one free conference registration, a stipend of $1000 and an additional $500 for travel related expenses to the NACC Conference.
The application form can be downloaded
here.
Submission deadline is June 1, 2013. Applications can be submitted via email to Taylor Stockdell at
taylor.stockdell@childrenscolorado.org or by mail to:
NACC Awards Committee
13123 E 16th Avenue, Suite B390,
Aurora, CO 80045
2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award Recipient
Betsy Fordyce has more than eight years of experience working with children and families who struggle with issues of domestic violence, homelessness, abuse and neglect. She has a special interest in the educational needs of foster children and engaging in appellate advocacy. Ms. Fordyce’s professional background also includes working with Project Safe Guard, Gateway Battered Women’s Services, and a transitional housing program in Massachusetts as a children’s advocate.
Stephen M. Cahn-Juvenile Law Award
Stephen Cahn dedicated his professional life to the representation of children and worked tirelessly to improve the practice of law for children. Mr. Cahn was extraordinarily generous with his time and resources when it came to serving children and the NACC. He was a long time member of the NACC and served on the Board of Directors. Awards will be given out periodically to honor the memory of Stephen Cahn and promote career practice in juvenile law. The awards will be presented at the NACC's National Conferences in two categories: Career Achievement and Promising Young Attorney.
Past Stephen M. Cahn-Juvenile Law Award Recipients
-
Robert Schwartz has been named the recipient of the Stephen M. Cahn Award . Mr. Schwartz co-founded the Juvenile Law Center (JLC) in Philadelphia in 1975, at a time when the dedicated practice of law for children was virtually unheard of. He has served as Executive Director of JLC since 1982. Mr. Schwartz' representation of youth, mentorship of attorneys in the field, and his academic and policy advocacy accomplishments have established him as one of our nation's most valued juvenile attorneys.
- John B. Ciccolella was the inaugural recipient of the Stephen M. Cahn Career Achievement Award. Mr. Ciccolella practices law in Colorado Springs , Colorado . He has been in private practice since 1973 serving children and families in Southern Colorado . Mr. Ciccolella has put his own life on the line to protect the legal rights of his clients. He was honored in 2002 for his dedication to children and families for nearly 30 years and the legal work he has done on their behalf.
Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award
Each year, the NACC recognizes excellence in the field of children's law through its sponsorship of the NACC Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award. Nominations for the award are solicited nationwide through professional journals, associations, and other organizations. The Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award is given to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to enhancing the well being of children through legal representation and other advocacy efforts. Nominees' accomplishments may include work in one or more of the following areas: legal protection and representation; training and education of children's advocates; promotion of legislative and policy changes designed to benefit children; and organization of related advocacy programs. The award is presented each year and the NACC Children's Law Conference.
To apply for this award click here.
2011 Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award Recipient
- Hon. Ana España - Prior to her appointment to the San Diego Superior Court in 2008, Judge España was a longtime dependency attorney in the San Diego Department of the Public Defender. As the Supervising Attorney for Child Dependency Section she was responsible for the original design and development of the child dependency section. Prior to taking on a supervisorial role, Judge España represented children in dependency and delinquency cases. She has written several articles and presented at numerous seminars, most recently focusing on education laws and outcomes pertaining to foster youth. Judge España is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law.
2012 Law Student Essay Competition
The NACC will begin accepting essays for the 2012 Law Student Essay Competition in October 2012. The winning essay will be published in the 2012 Children's Law Manual, and the winner will be given $1,000, a one-year NACC membership and a scholarship to the 2013 Law Conference in Atlanta. Essays will be evaluated on the importance of the topic to advancing the legal interests of children, originality, persuasiveness, and the quality of research and writing. Essay topics of national importance are given preference.
Essays must be received by June 1, 2013.
NACC Student Essay Competition
13123 E. 16th Avenue, B390
Aurora, CO 80045
Recent Winners
-
2011 - Kaitlyn McKenna, JD candidate at Hofstra University, School of Law, for her essay titled: A Global Perspective of Children’s Rights: Advocating for U.S. Citizen Minors After Parental Deportation Through Federal Sub Agency Creation.
-
2010 - Reestablishing the Humanitarian Approach to Adoption: The Legal and Social Change Necessary to End the Commodification of Children by Katherine Herrmann.
-
2009 - Shuffling to Justice: Why Children Should Not Be Shackled in Court by Anita Nabha.
-
2008 - Ensuring Equal Access to Education: Ending Racial Isolation in Public Schools in Light of Parents v. Seattle School District No. 1 by Manali Shah
-
2007– Prevention and Rehabilitation of Youth Who Commit Sexual Offenses: The Importance of an Inter-Agency Approach by Andrea Randisi, UC Davis School of Law.
-
Honorable Mention - Making Miranda Protections Meaningful for Suspects with Cognitive Limitations by Amy Weiner, Harvard Law
-
2006 – Adequate Access or Equal Treatment: Looking Beyond the IDEA to Section 504 in a Post-Shaffer Public School by Christopher J. Walker, Stanford Law School
-
2005 – Free Exercise in Foster Care: Defining the Scope of Religious Rights for Foster Children and Their Families by Kelsi Brown Corkran, University of Chicago, and 2nd Place Violation of the Rights of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in the United States, and the Need for Appointed Counsel by Javier Barraza, King Hall School of Law, University of California, Davis.
-
2004 - Child, School, and Police: Reappraising the "Special Needs” Doctrine in an Era of School-Law Enforcement Entanglement by Joshua Kagan of New York University Law School, and A Child’s Due Process Right to Legal Counsel in Abuse and Neglect Dependency Proceedings by Jacob Smiles of Washington University School of Law.
-
2003 – International Adoption in Cases of Children Separated From Their Parents by War by Cynthia Donley Young of Washington & Lee University School of Law.
-
2002 – Megan’s Laws Must Succeed Ex Post Facto and Apply Retroactively by Chris Curtin of University of Akron School of Law.
Print to Page
