Juvenile law attorneys represent minors in delinquency proceedings and status offence cases, and appear in dependency matters where the state has intervened in a family. They also handle school discipline and expulsion hearings, records sealing, and transfers to adult court.
Juvenile court is meant to be rehabilitative rather than punitive, and its procedures, terminology and dispositions differ from the adult system. That difference is not a reason to take a case lightly: adjudications can affect school placement, immigration status and, in serious cases, follow a young person into adulthood.
Before you hire
- Ask whether the attorney regularly practises in juvenile court specifically, not just criminal court.
- Ask about diversion. Many jurisdictions offer programmes that avoid an adjudication entirely if entered early.
- Ask about sealing or expunging the record, and when that becomes possible.
Family law and criminal law cover neighbouring matters, and dependency cases often run alongside both.