Youth Defender Clinic Director
Madalyn Wasilczuk
Assistant Professor of Law
Learn more about Madalyn
The clinic will afford participating students an opportunity to gain closely-supervised experience in the representation of real clients and the practice of the skills of litigation planning, client counseling, fact development, negotiating, and courtroom advocacy. The vehicle for such training and experience is the planning, preparation and presentation of the legal defense of children in cases involving allegations of delinquent (i.e. criminal) conduct, including pre-trial issues, guilt or innocence, and disposition (i.e. sentencing) advocacy.
All casework will be done under the supervision of a clinical professor.
Participating in the Juvenile Justice Clinic allowed me to develop holistic trial and advocacy skills that were client-focused and solution-oriented. We directly represented justice-involved children, partnered with national and state organizations on juvenile justice issues, and participated in true discourse regarding racial, economic and social injustices in the field. My selection as a 2018 Equal Justice Works Fellow would not have occurred but for the expert training Professor Josh Gupta-Kagan provided during my clinic. The vital skills I acquired during this intensive experiential learning are transferable to any practice and the benefits of this clinic and the USC Law clinical program at large are unparalleled.
