The graduate students receive hands-on training in real world scenarios while the children are provided advocates who work solely for their benefit.

1. Law Job Star
Lucy Johnston-Walsh - Child Advocate, Attorney and Clinical Professor
Lucy Johnston-Walsh, a long-time lobbyist for child advocacy, past chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Children’s Rights
Committee and current Penn State law professor, has played a significant role in the Children’s Advocacy Clinic in Pennsylvania. We are
proud to introduce her as this week’s Law Star inductee.
Clinical Professor Lucy Johnston- as well as though caught in the middle of contested adoption
Walsh has been a strong supporter and custody cases. The clients run the gamut: from infants to
of children’s rights for years. Now, teens to those up to age twenty one. ‘’We handle cases where
she’s taken those energies and the child is in the dependency system and placed in foster
plays a pivotal role in the Children’s care due to abuse or neglect,’’ says Johnston-Walsh during
Advocacy Clinic, which she helped an interview for Penn State Outreach Magazine. She goes
found. Before embarking on this on to explain the clinic also works with older teens who are
latest journey, Johnston-Walsh was transitioning out of foster care into adult independence. This
the 2007 Pennsylvania Child Advocate is crucial since many young people across the country face
of the Year. Established to recognize transition on their 18th or 21st birthdays with absolutely no
accomplishments of lawyers and judges support mechanisms in place.
who work to protect children on every level, this prestigious
award is indicative of truly selfless efforts on the part of its It’s a true win-win. The graduate students receive hands-on
recipients. Her ‘’rare combination of intellect, interpersonal training in real world scenarios while the children are provided
skills and passion for public service’’ has allowed her to work advocates who work solely for their benefit. It also allows
diligently for the rights of abused and neglected children. students of medicine, psychology, sociology and education to
This comes as no surprise to those who know her well. Even come together in an effort of addressing real social problems
before entering law school, her contributions were impressive and potential solutions for the youngest and most vulnerable
and through her work, policies and procedures were changed in our society. It allows students across many disciplines
in nearly every branch of Pennsylvania’s state government. to learn important procedures regarding confidentiality
She is also a current member of the National Association of issues, counseling efforts for children, guidelines for proper
Counsel for Children and along with family law, focuses much gathering of evidence, insight into family and juvenile law, the
of her attention to disability law. responsibilities each has as professionals as well as addressing
indigent clients. All these scenarios will prove beneficial as
The former state lobbyist now expertly divides her time students reach the end of their educational careers and begin
between Penn State Dickinson Law School and the Children’s using the real world experience gained.
Advocacy Clinic, also located at the Penn State Dickinson
School of Law. She directs the clinic’s operations as well For these reasons, plus many more, Lucy Johnston-Walsh is
as supports its mission to ‘’serve children and advocate for our most recent Law Star addition. Her tireless efforts do not
legislative issues related to children in the welfare system’’. go unnoticed and her contributions to countless children and
Under her guidance, law students and those students pursuing families have made significant and lifelong contributions to the
their educations in social services represent abused children, well-being of both.
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