Barton Clinic Profiles of Former Students and Staff

Melissa Dorris Carter * Valerie Condit * Will Crossley * Stephen Fusco * Jessica Gibson * Jessica Gordon * Lynn Grindall * Patrice Harris * Amy Howell * Beth Locker Soledad McGrath * Robin Nash * Mary Margaret Oliver * Anne Armitage Rogers * Brooke Silverthorn * Jyotsna Vanapalli
Staff Profiles * Jobs * Recent Student Profiles * Recent SJDC & Work Study Student Profiles

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• Valerie Condit
  Georgia State University, MSW 2001
  Barton Clinic Fall 2000 and Spring 2001

  Valerie Condit was the Truancy Intervention Project Coordinator with Kids In Need of Dreams, Inc., a non-profit organization that coordinates the efforts of the Fulton County Juvenile Court Truancy Intervention Project by recruiting and training attorney and non-attorney volunteers and facilitating utilization of community resources.



• Will Crossley
  Post-Graduate Fellow in Law
  Barton Clinic Fall 2001 and Spring 2002

  Will Crossley was the first Post-Graduate Fellow through the Barton Fellowship Program.  He advised students, participated in the policy work of the Clinic and published articles on child welfare and the law.  He also guest lectured in the class "Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy, and the Players."  Previously, he was an elementary public school teacher in Chicago and served as a policy analyst in the Georgia Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.  In September 2002 Will left the Clinic to begin a two-year clerkship with the Honorable Julian Abele Cook of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan.

  Mr. Crossley received his BA from the University of Chicago, his M.Ed. from Harvard University, and his JD from the University of Virginia.



• Melissa Dorris Carter
  Post-Graduate Fellow in Law, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Melissa Carter is now the Training Director for Georgia's Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children.

  Melissa Dorris (now Carter) was the second Post-Graduate Fellow through the Barton Fellowship Program. She participated in the policy work of the Clinic, advising students, and publishing articles on issues of child welfare and the law. She also guest lectured in the class "Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy, and the Players." During her years as a student Melissa maintained a focus on the needs of children. She has interned as a case manager for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, worked as a child and family advocate and mentor for various community organizations, and volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Champaign County, Illinois. Previously, Ms. Dorris worked as a legislative assistant for the Children's Rights Council in Washington, D.C., lobbying for father's rights and surveying states' child custody laws. She also is a former participant in the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, administered by the Barton Clinic, through which she interned for the Georgia Supreme Court's Child Placement Project and Office of Dispute Resolution.

  Ms. Dorris received both her BS and her JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



• Stephen Fusco
  Emory School of Law, JD 2001
  Barton Clinic Fall 2000 and Spring 2001

  Stephen Fusco is an associate in the Land Use Group of Seyfarth Shaw, a law firm in Atlanta. He volunteers with the Fulton County Juvenile Court Truancy Intervention Project.



• Jessica Crawford Gibson
  Emory School of Law, JD 2001
  Barton Clinic Fall 2000 and Spring 2001

  Jessica Gibson is a staff attorney with the Augusta office of Georgia Legal Services Program, where she interned as a participant in the 2000 Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program. She works on family law and other civil litigation issues.



• Jessica Gordon
  Post-Graduate Fellow in Law, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Jessica Gordon was the fourth Post-Graduate Fellow through the Barton Fellowship Program. She participated in the policy work of the Clinic, advising students, and publishing articles on issues of child welfare and the law. She also assisted with teaching the class "Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy and the Players." Ms. Gordon came to us after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She has a history in child advocacy and abuse prevention. During law school, Ms. Gordon worked for the Family Advocacy and Domestic Violence Clinics at Georgetown University Law Center. Through her work with these law clinics, Ms. Gordon has provided both policy advocacy and direct service representation. She was also awarded the Georgetown Tutorial Program Award, was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, and was elected to Order of the Coif.

  Ms. Gordon received her B.A. from Emory University and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.



• Lynn Grindall
  Managing Attorney, Southern Juvenile Defender Center

  Lynn Grindall was the Managing Attorney for the Southern Juvenile Defender Center (SJDC).  Emory Law School was selected, through its Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic, by the ABA Juvenile Justice Center to be the home of the SJDC.  The Center was one of nine regional affiliate centers established by the American Bar Association.  The mission of the SJDC is to improve the lives of children in their encounters with the juvenile and criminal justice systems in the region by enhancing the quality of representation and the capacity of the juvenile defense bar, and by educating society on issues and processes affecting these children.  The states served by the SJDC are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

  Prior to joining the SJDC, Ms. Grindall was an active participant in the policy and advocacy work of the Barton Clinic.  Previously she worked in the area of immigration and nationality law with the law firms of Fragomen, DelRey, Bernsen & Loewy and Gibney, Anthony and Flaherty in New York City.  Throughout her career, she has been active in international human rights advocacy, particularly around asylum matters, conditions of detention and related human rights issues.

  Ms. Grindall received her BA Magna Cum Laude from CW Post College of Long Island University, New York and her JD from Brooklyn Law School.



• Patrice A. Harris
  Senior Policy Fellow, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Patrice A. Harris, MD directed the Barton Clinic's legislative advocacy.  She supervises students in the Clinic and guest lectures in the class "Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy, and the Players."  Dr. Harris is a child and adolescent forensic psychiatrist with a private practice that serves children and families who are in the child welfare system.  She consults with public and private agencies that work with children who have been maltreated.  Dr. Harris served as legislative consultant for several state medical associations in 1999 and 2000.  As part of her responsibilities as Senior Policy Fellow, she now serves the Clinic in this capacity.  She is on the board of the American Psychiatric Association and lectures nationally on topics related to pediatric forensic psychiatry.

  Dr. Harris received her BA from West Virginia University, MA in Counseling Psychology from West Virginia University, and MD from West Virginia University School of Medicine.



• Amy Howell
  Managing Attorney, Southern Juvenile Defender Center

  Amy Howell is now the Director of Legal Services for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

  Amy Howell joined the Southern Juvenile Defender Center (SJDC) in 2002 as an Equal Justice Works fellow. Ms. Howell managed the activities of SJDC and supervises students working with SJDC. Ms. Howell also focused on the development of research-based policy and systemic improvements for youth involved with the juvenile or criminal justice system. As part of her work, Ms. Howell assisted courts in developing protocols for pre-trial mental health assessment, detention alternative policies, and public education on the juvenile justice system. Her publications include articles relating competence to stand trial in juvenile court, a comprehensive manual regarding holistic legal representation of youth in the juvenile justice system "Representing the Whole Child: A Juvenile Defender Training Manual." Ms. Howell also served as legal counsel for youth with disabilities in juvenile court and school disciplinary proceedings.

  Previously, Ms. Howell taught elementary school working with special needs and gifted children in North Carolina. Ms. Howell is also a former participant in the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, administered by the Barton Clinic. In that program Ms. Howell worked with The Honorable Velma Tilley in Bartow County Juvenile Court.

  Mrs. Howell received her BA from Connecticut College and her JD from The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.



• Beth Locker
  Post-Graduate Fellow in Law, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Beth Locker is now the Measures for Courts Project Director for Georgia's Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children.

  Beth Locker was the third Post-Graduate Fellow through the Barton Fellowship Program. She participated in the policy work of the Clinic, advising students and publishing articles on issues of child welfare and the law. She also guest lectured in the class "Child Advocacy: The Law, the Policy and the Players." Prior to law school, Beth taught both elementary and middle school. During law school she was awarded a Bergstrom Fellowship in child advocacy and she worked for children's law clinics at both the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Cape Town School of Law. Through her work with these children's law clinics Beth has provided both policy advocacy and direct service representation.

  Ms. Locker received her A.B. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law.



• Soledad McGrath
  Staff Attorney, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Soledad McGrath was a staff attorney with the Barton Clinic. Prior to joining the Clinic, Ms. McGrath was an Associate at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP where she practiced in the Labor and Employment group. In addition to practicing labor and employment law during her time with Kilpatrick Stockton, Ms. McGrath served as a guardian ad litem in custody cases and represented youth through the Truancy Intervention Project. She also represented domestic violence victims seeking temporary protective orders, supervised several of the firm's summer associates handling domestic violence cases, and represented grandparents seeking to adopt their grandchildren through Atlanta Legal Aid's Grandparent Adoption Project. While in law school, Ms. McGrath worked at the Barton Clinic on various Clinic projects.

  Ms. McGrath received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law.



• Robin Nash
  Director, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Robin Nash was director of the Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic from April, 2006 until his death in January, 2007.  If you have rememberances or thoughts of Robin to share, please add them to our guestbook.

  Mr. Nash coordinated the expanded scope of the Barton Clinic in directing the work of two clinics, one in child welfare policy and the other in defense of juveniles charged with delinquent and unruly offenses.  In addition, he taught a course on child advocacy and oversaw a multi-disciplinary summer intern program.

  Mr. Nash served on the Barton Clinic Advisory Board from its formation.  Building on the early vision of Barton, he drew upon the wealth of child-related resources both in the law school and in the university at large to offer students a comprehensive and integrated experience in child advocacy.

  Mr. Nash was appointed as a full-time Juvenile Court Judge in DeKalb County in March of 1995.  He resigned as Chief Judge of DeKalb's Juvenile Court in December of 2005.  Prior to becoming a judge, he was in private practice for 15 years concentrating on rights of the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled, particularly in the area of deinstitutionalization.

  Mr. Nash received his BA in Economics from Emory College in 1971 and his JD from Emory University School of Law in 1978.



• Mary Margaret Oliver
  Visiting Professor, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Mary Margaret Oliver now serves on the Barton Clinic advisory board. She previously advised the Barton Clinic on legislative and policy matters, co-taught a course in child advocacy, and supervised students in the Clinic.

  After a short sabbatical from political life, Representative Oliver was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002, serving DeKalb County. In 2004 she served as Chairperson of the House Judiciary Committee.

  Mary Margaret previously served in the state House from 1987 to 1992, and then in the state Senate from 1992 to 1998. She chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee for all six years of her Senate terms, and authored and passed systemic reform legislation for Georgia's child protection agencies. Prior to her election she served as a state administrative hearing officer and a magistrate court judge, and has practiced law privately for twenty years. She has also taught full time as an assistant professor at the Boston College School of Law and served on the Emory Board of Visitors and the Emory Law Alumni Council.

  Ms. Oliver received her BA from Vanderbilt University and her JD from Emory University School of Law.



• Anne Armitage Rogers
  Visiting Policy Analyst and Clinical Instructor, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Anne is a JD cum laude graduate of Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska, and spent a year and a half serving as a Deputy County Attorney in Omaha with a caseload that included abuse, neglect, delinquency, and status cases. Prior to attending law school, Anne spent two and a half years working for two different U.S. Senators representing Nebraska in a variety of roles including handling constituent relations and campaign fundraising.

  Anne received her bachelor's from University of Nebraska.



• Brooke Silverthorn
  Post-Graduate Fellow in Law, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic
  Staff Attorney, Southern Juvenile Defender Center and the Barton Clinic

  Brooke Silverthorn served as a staff attorney with both SJDC and the Barton Clinic. She participated in the policy work of SJDC, including serving as a contributing author of a Juvenile Defense Manual to be published in 2004. She also served as the legislative point-person for the Barton Clinic. Ms. Silverthorn has a long-standing interest in juvenile law issues, with a particular focus on juveniles in the adult criminal justice system. Before attending law school she worked with middle school students in the Atlanta Public School system through the Americorps program. While attending law school, Ms. Silverthorn worked at the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice on legislative issues. She is also a former participant in the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, administered through the Barton Clinic, through which she interned with the Truancy Intervention Project at Fulton County Juvenile Court, as well as a former student intern with SJDC.

  Ms. Silverthorn received her B.A. in Sociology from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law.



• Jyotsna Vanapalli
  Program Adminstrative Assistant, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic

  Jyotsna Vanapalli joined the staff of Emory University's School of Law in August 2005 as an administrative assistant to the Barton Clinic, and the Turner Environmental Law Clinic. Jyotsna's projects included recruitment for the Clinics and for the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program. She also provided operational support for the staff and students throughout the year. On campus, Jyotsna was a trained facilitator with the Transforming Community Project. She served on the TCP Steering Committee and on the President's Commission on the Status of Women.

  Before joining Emory, Jyotsna was the office manager for the Georgia Justice Project, a local not-for-profit firm dedicated to providing indigent criminal defense representation, social services, and employment opportunities within a holistic framework for individuals committed to self-renewal.

  Ms. Vanapalli received her B.A. in History from Georgia State University

Staff Profiles * Recent Student Profiles * Recent SJDC & Work Study Student Profiles

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