Advocating for troubled youth in the juvenile justice system is often more a marathon than a sprint—a lesson that Juvenile Justice Clinic students Dominque Anderson ’21, Sav Fimbres ’21, Chloe Gucciardi ’22, and Brian Gilmartin ’22 have learned from their representation of young client AB over the past two academic years.
When AB was charged with attempted murder in 2021, the investigative work of Anderson and Fimbres discovered an exonerating witness identification not disclosed by the prosecution. The students successfully argued to the juvenile court that their client only be placed on probation. While on probation, AB’s team of Youth Justice Education Clinic students, Jennifer Koontz ‘21 and Suzanne Truong ‘23, advocated for him at IEP meetings through securing him counseling, specialized academic instruction, and speech/language services.
Because of their advocacy and AB’s hard work, AB graduated high school in the spring. Finally, this fall Gucciardi and Gilmartin filed a 786 motion and successfully argued in court to have AB’s probation terminated and his record sealed. Crossing the finish line for their client was a transformative achievement, said Gucciardi. “It confirmed for me that although I lack experience, the passion I have to work in my client's best interest is capable of changing an entire courtroom's mind.”