In her 2L year at Hofstra Law, Jade Garza took a mediation seminar that helped her to realize that her passion in the law is working directly with people and helping with their issues, which motivated her to research the National Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardian Ad Litem for Children (CASA/GAL) to see if she could be of service. “That’s the work I care about, and the mediation class helped me reinvigorate that,” she says.
As someone who had been in kinship foster care (foster care with a relative or family friend), Jade knows what it’s like as a child in the court system. “I didn’t have a CASA volunteer and I didn’t have a good experience,” she says. “I could have benefited from one.”
“In high school, I realized that I could be a family law attorney, and ultimately, I developed a passion for child advocacy within family law while I was in college and learning about CASA. This is what I want to do with my entire life.”
National CASA/GAL was started by Seattle juvenile court judge David W. Soukup in 1976 after he realized that children who had experienced abuse or neglect needed trained volunteers in the courtroom to speak up for their best interests. CASA/GAL volunteers receive 30 hours of training to become advocates for children and youth in the courtroom. The volunteers gather information from all parties involved, including parents, foster parents, the child’s school, counselors, social workers, and healthcare providers to get a well-rounded picture of the child’s situation, and then make written recommendations to the judge so the judge can make a final determination.
Jade was familiar with National CASA/GAL long before law school. One assignment in her college public speaking class was to research community volunteer opportunities. “I researched children and foster care and CASA came up, so I did my presentation on CASA,” she says. “Then I decided to volunteer, but I wasn’t yet 21, and all CASA volunteers have to be at least 21 years old.”
After graduating from college, Jade was working full-time at a law firm, and decided to apply again for a volunteer position. “My firm encouraged me to do it,” she says. “I went through the training as a volunteer while working full-time at the firm. I loved it,” she says. Jade eventually left her law firm job and became a paid casework supervisor for her local CASA/GAL program. But law school was always a goal. “I wanted to be a lawyer since I was seven years old,” Jade says. “In high school, I realized that I could be a family law attorney, and ultimately, I developed a passion for child advocacy within family law while I was in college and learning about CASA. This is what I want to do with my entire life.”
When Jade started looking for externships in her 2L year at Hofstra Law, she knew that the National CASA/GAL Association existed, “but I didn’t know much about it because all of the local programs are independent. I wanted to see if there was a need for an unpaid extern or intern, but nothing was posted on the website, so I sent a cold email to the general address on the website and told them about my CASA history and interest in serving. The following week, I was contacted by my current supervisor, who said he had posted a position and encouraged me to apply.”
Jade has worked on one research project throughout her entire externship this summer – a 50-state survey of statutes and court rules that relate to CASA/GAL. “I’m learning more than I ever could have imagined or hoped for,” she says. I am developing an understanding of how National CASA/GAL works in every single state.”
Jade’s summer position has been completely remote, but she meets at least twice a week with her supervisor and once a week with two other legal externs and two public policy externs to discuss their ongoing projects. Her supervisor also brings in other staff members to discuss their roles and the day to day aspects of their jobs. “It is helping me to figure out the different ways I can create a career with a CASA/GAL program at the local or state level, or with the National CASA/GAL office. I’m getting valuable information about different ways I can make that happen.”
Jade has also considered working directly on children’s cases and advocating for them as a legal representative first with Legal Aid or the Administration for Children’s Services located in New York City, to get the experience from that perspective.
“The externship with National CASA/GAL has been an absolute highlight of my law school career so far,” Jade says. “I had a fantastic experience this summer,” Jade says. “I’m actually upset that it is ending. I would encourage other students to apply for an externship at National CASA/GAL – there are always projects students can work on, and it’s a great way to put all of our skills to good use and to get some practice.” She plans to continue that practice this fall by working in Hofstra’s Youth Advocacy Clinic, representing children in special immigrant juvenile cases.
The post Jade Garza 3L Discusses Her Passion for Child Advocacy and Her Externship with the National CASA/GAL Association appeared first on Hofstra Law News.