Since 1977, the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts has zealously represented low-income children and youth

Consistent with its mission, attorneys at the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) offer zealous, client-directed legal representation and holistic advocacy with the goal of expanding children’s equitable access to achieve their own life goals.

Across all practice areas, CLCM’s legal advocacy begins with the simple principle that every child should have a safe and stable home, relationships with supportive adults, a quality education and community support, and opportunities that allow them to successfully transition to young adulthood. In upholding this principle, we believe the perspective of children and youth matters. And we believe children and youth have a right not only to express themselves in all matters affecting them, but also a right to be heard and to have their views be given due weight.  Especially when the state intervenes, removes a child from their family or community, or fails to provide certain services, attorneys for children play a vital role in holding institutions accountable and ensuring a child’s perspective is taken into consideration.

CLCM attorneys engage in legal work in four issue areas:  education, foster care and family integrity, immigration, and juvenile justice.

Individual Representation

Attorneys provide individual representation to children and youth ages 0-22 across our four practice areas, primarily to children in Essex county and Greater Boston. Our clients are the children and youth themselves, not their parents or caretakers. We offer age-appropriate and culturally sensitive legal counseling and legal information to our child and youth clients so that they may make informed choices and be empowered to decide their own futures.    

For children to receive legal aid from the CLCM, families must meet income eligibility standards based on federal poverty guidelines or be eligible for court-appointed counsel.

Please visit our Get Help page to request legal assistance for a child. 

Strategic Advocacy

CLCM attorneys engage in strategic advocacy and litigation to promote policies and practices that equitably enhance children’s access to achieve their own life goals. Advocacy is focused on harm reduction and promoting policies that strengthen families and communities.

We aim to reduce the inherent harm of state intervention and practices in a child’s life and to hold government institutions accountable when there is an intervention or state services are provided. Since our inception in 1977, CLCM has fought against the institutionalization of children, and we continue to believe it is possible to improve outcomes for children by diverting resources and legitimacy from carceral systems and court interventions directly to children, parents, caregivers, and communities. We continuously look to the communities we work within for direction, and we build local partnerships to create momentum for change.

Equity is a central tenet of our work. We root out practices that are direct or indirectly discriminatory. CLCM opposes any narrative that frames children as “good” or “bad,” “deserving” or “undeserving,” and is committed to upholding the humanity and right to self-determination of all children.

Technical Assistance and Training

CLCM provides resources, trainings, and technical assistance to youth, parents, attorneys, and helping professionals statewide. Attorneys and professionals can request assistance or trainings by emailing info@clcm.org