About Lawyers for Children America
At Lawyers for Children America, we protect abused, abandoned, and neglected children through pro bono legal representation and partnerships that create systemic change.
More than 400 volunteer lawyers advocate for children in the child welfare system. Their work includes advocating in legal proceedings, at child welfare agency hearings/meetings, in school planning sessions, and at other important moments. Through their work, more than 6,200 lives have been changed for the better. Lawyers for Children America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Our History
Lawyers for Children America (LFCA) began as a pilot in 1994 in Hartford, Connecticut under the leadership of LFCA Chairperson Emeritus, Zoë Baird, then Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Aetna. In June 1995, at a ceremony hosted by Attorney General Janet Reno in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice, LFCA was launched as a national initiative with the announcement of two additional offices, in Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida. In addition to the three original sites, LFCA opened a fourth office in 2000 in Fairfield County, Connecticut and a fifth site in New Haven, Connecticut in 2002.
Our Goals
Lawyers for Children America remains dedicated to its founding goals:- To implement services that will help children and youth who are victims of abuse and neglect;
- To increase pro bono efforts on behalf of children by:
- establishing an institutional commitment on the part of major law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, national, state and local bar associations and universities, and
- establishing local affiliates of Lawyers for Children America across the United States to support that commitment;
- To improve the child welfare system in coordination with other national and local organizations; and
- To increase public awareness of issues related to youth and violence.
Our Work
Each year, Lawyers for Children America leverages over $3 million in pro bono legal time and in-kind contributions to positively impact the lives of young people in the child welfare systems. Partner law firms and corporate legal departments encourage their lawyers to volunteer to represent children in court and other proceedings. These advocates fight for medical, mental health, educational, and social services that save children’s lives.
LFCA attorneys’ regular contact with a child, as well as coordination with DCF social workers, foster parents, schools, and other organizations ensures that no child falls through the cracks in a system that is often overwhelmed and understaffed. LFCA attorneys serve as caring, consistent adults who are present in a child’s life, providing stability and certainty when it is most needed.