2025 Zealous Advocacy Conference
The Center for Children, Law & Policy at the University of Houston Law Center,
The Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at TSU School of Law, and Generation to Generation are proud to present the annual conference: Zealous Advocacy: Helping Youth and Attorneys Become Better Advocates
Friday, January 31, 2025 – Saturday, February 1, 2025 | 9:00AM – 5:00PM Central
Location:
John M. O’Quinn Law Building
Danny M. Sheena Courtroom
4170 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Houston, TX. 77204
For more event information, click here.
This conference is designed for juvenile defense attorneys to be stronger advocates for youth in conflict with the law.
This course has been approved for 15 hours of Texas MCLE, of which 3 hours are ethics by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for certification and recertification continuing legal education requirements for attorneys and paralegals in the following specialty fields: Criminal Law (15 hours) and Juvenile Law (15 hours).
Agenda & Conference Materials
Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
- 8:00 – 8:30 AM Breakfast
- 8:30 – 8:45 AM Welcome and Opening Remarks
- 8:45 – 11:00 AM (2.25 hours) Taking Ideas from Other Systems to Improve Our Own: Children In Conflict With the Law In Wales, Dr. Anthony Charles, Associate Professor, Swansea University
- 11:00 – 12:15 PM (1.25 hours; .5 ethics) Implementing New Ideas, Henry Gonzales, Executive Director, Harris County Juvenile Probation, Ellen Marrus, Professor Emerita, Director, Center for Children, Law & Policy, University of Houston Law Center, Director, Generation to Generation, Dr. Malikah Marrus, M.S.W. Program Director, University of Nevada, Reno
- 12:15 – 1:00 PM Lunch and Networking
- 1:00 – 2:00 PM (1 hour; .5 ethics) New Immigration Policies: What Consequences For Our Youth, J. Anna Cabot, Assistant Dean of Clinical Programs, Director, UHLC Immigration Clinic, University of Houston Law Center
- 2:00 – 3:30 PM (1.5 hour), Demystifying School-Based Disability Services, For Justice-Involved Youth, Karmel Willis, Disability Rights Texas
- 3:30 – 5:00 PM (1.5 hours; .5 ethics), Recognizing Trauma and Other Mental Health, Issues and Helping Your Clients, Dr. Dashiel J. Geyen, Ed.D., M.P.H., Clinical Research & Practice Associates
Saturday, February 1, 2025
- 8:30 – 9:00 AM, Breakfast/Networking
- 9:00 – 10:30 AM (1.5 hours) How the Welsh Improved the Justice System for Children in Conflict With the Law, Dr. Anthony Charles, Associate Professor, Swansea University
- 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (1.5 hours; .5 ethics) Moving Towards Change – Collaborative, Representation, Ellen Marrus, Dr. Malikah Marrus, M.S.W. Program Director, University of Nevada, Reno
- 12:00 – 12:30 PM Lunch and Networking
- 12:30 – 2:00 PM (1.5 hours; .5 ethics) Education Justice: Using Your Skills as a Defense Attorney to Advocate for your Clients at School, Sarah Bebe, Disability Rights Texas
- 2:00 – 3:00 PM (1 hour; .5 ethics) Using Client Voices, Ellen Marrus, Professor Emerita, Director, Center for Children, Law & Policy, University of Houston Law Center, Director, Generation to Generation, Dr. Malikah Marrus, M.S.W. Program Director, University of Nevada, Reno, Rifqa Sa’Aadat, B.A., M.A. Criminal Justice, University of Colorado
- 3:00 – 4:30 PM (1.5 hours) Street Law, Rifqa Sa’Aadat, B.A., M.A. Criminal Justice, University of Colorado
- 4:30 – 5:00 PM (.5 hour) Going Forward and Wrap Up, Ellen Marrus, Professor Emerita, Director, Center for Children, Law & Policy, University of Houston Law Center, Director, Generation to GenerationTotal hours of CLE for the two days – 15 hours including 3 hours of ethics.
Additional Resources:
- Ellen Marrus, Best Interests Equals Zealous Advocacy: a Not So Radical View of Holistic Representation for Children Accused of Crime, 62 Md. L. Rev. 288 (2003)
- Patricia K. Kerig, Responding to Youth Disclosures about Trauma: Guidelines for Non-Mental Health Professionals
- Tips on Youth Trauma for Juvenile Defenders (Nov. 2017)
- The Trajectory of a Traumatized Youth: A Three System Perspective
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990)