Adrianna Villela

Youth Justice Education Clinic

Adrianna came to law school with a passion to help young people navigate their educational journeys. As a clinical law student in the Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC), Adrianna learned about special education and disability rights law — and the various legal tools available to advocate for students and families impacted by the school-prison nexus. By the end of her second year with YJEC, Adrianna represented six students, from ages 7 to 19, with various needs — more than any other clinic student in recent memory.

Adrianna always showed up prepared and eager to support her clients as they navigate complex education, delinquency, and regional center systems. She helped draft various types of legal complaints, including a due process complaint, compliance complaints, and suspension appeals. In one case, her complaint was critical in forcing the school district to act and move forward with woefully overdue assessments to fully understand the root causes of the client’s disability-related behavior. Aside from oral and written advocacy, Adrianna excelled in the creative process of brainstorming with her team and finding the right legal tool to advance her clients’ stated interest.

We are deeply grateful for Adrianna's work with YJEC and we cannot wait to see all that she will do in her bright future ahead. Congratulations.