Justice for Children
News Release - For Immediate Release
September 21, 2001
Justice for Children, a national child advocacy organization headquartered in Houston, Texas, proudly announces that its "Houston Young Lawyers Association — Attorney Training Program" was selected as the winner of the Public Service Award, Young Lawyer's Division, by the American Bar Association at its recent annual convention.
Justice for Children, which has offices in Houston, Washington, D.C. and Phoenix, Arizona, advocates for the protection of abused children who have fallen through the cracks of the child welfare and legal systems. Justice for Children accomplishes this by providing caseworkers and pro bono attorneys who intervene on behalf of child abuse victims when it receives reports some part of the system has failed to save the child from further abuse. The Attorney Training Program which is currently being used in Houston, Austin, Phoenix, and Washington, DC, is designed to recruit young lawyers and train them in the various aspects of child abuse, how to identify the obstacles to their protection, and provide them with the legal tools to overcome or circumvent these problems. By familiarizing these lawyers with the complex maze of governmental agencies involved in a child's case and proven effective remedies, such as protective orders and motions to modify or terminate parental rights, JFC is able to protect the child from being re-assaulted by a parent.
Houston attorney and founder of Justice for Children, Randy Burton stated, "This award recognizes the great work that Justice for Children is doing in saving the lives of children and educating our public officials. Through our advocacy for children we are able not only to identify system failures but to work towards public policy solutions and legislative reforms."
The Justice for Children Attorney Training Program was nominated for this ABA award by Houston attorney Bill Jackson, a current Justice for Children board member and President of the Houston Young Lawyers Association. Jackson noted that "Without Justice for Children, abused children, protective parents, and concerned citizens have no place else to turn if the governmental systems fail to protect the interest of the abused. The Attorney Training Program is essential, and was so successful in Houston, because Justice for Children came together with the Houston Young Lawyers Association and the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program to provide our lawyers with the training and ongoing assistance necessary to effect the necessary result. This award will help us expand Justice for Children's success to additional parts of the country through other regional Young Lawyers Associations."
For more information about Justice for Children, its Attorney Training Program, and other programs, see JFC's website at www.jfcadvocacy.org or call them at 1-800-733-0059.
Justice for Children is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and has been featured by such news organizations as ABC's Primetime Live and 20\20, ABC's Good Morning America, HBO's America Undercover and The Discovery Channel's Justice Files. Its Executive Director is Ms. Kimberly Stabler.
Justice for Children, National Headquarters: 2600 Southwest Freeway, Suite 806, Houston, TX 77098. Phone: 713-225-4357, Fax: 713-225-2818, Website: www.jfcadvocacy.org
