Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  How can I help?

A:  There are a number of ways that members of the community can support Youth, Rights & Justice.  Individuals who are lawyers or other professionals may be able to volunteer with YRJ's SchoolWorks or public defense programs.  YRJ also hosts law clerks and MSW students each year.

We also need volunteers to support our fundraising events each year.  We have a committee of community members who find interesting auction items, recruit sponsor organizations and who help sell tickets.  We also need volunteers to work at each event.  For more information, contact Janeen Olsen or Teresa Conroy.  Find their contact info on our staff page.

Contributions also support the critical work we do.  If you are interested in making a one-time or recurring donation as a Justice League member, click here.

Q:  I heard that you passed a bill related to relief from juvenile sex offender registration.  What does it do?

A:  Yes, please refer to our Senate Bill 408 Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

Q:  Didn't Youth, Rights & Justice also pass a bill to improve school stability for foster children?  What does it do?

A:  Yes, the bill we drafted, HB 3075, was passed in 2005.  It has helped provide school stability for thousands of Oregon foster children.  Read more on our HB 3075 FAQ page.

Q:  Do you help people outside of Multnomah County?

A:  Youth, Rights & Justice advocates for public policy improvements in Oregon that impact children, youth and families statewide. 

YRJ serves some individual clients outside of Multnomah County, as well, including cases in the Oregon Court of Appeals or Oregon Supreme Court that are based upon a juvenile court case in Oregon.  YRJ also represents youth from around the state who are under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Psychiatric Security Review Board.

Most of YRJ's court-appointed clients are involved in the Multnomah County juvenile court.  Most of our SchoolWorks clients are children in foster care or youth in the juvenile justice system in Multnomah County.

Q:  Is Youth, Rights & Justice like CASA?

A:  Youth, Rights & Justice is a law firm that employs attorneys who specialize in juvenile law.  Our responsibility is to advocate zealously for our clients, about 75% of whom are children in foster care. YRJ also represents parents in some cases and assists them in getting the services and support they need so that they can be reunified with their children.

Our team of attorneys have an average of 11 years' experience working at Youth, Rights & Justice.  Collectively, they have more than 184 years of experience in juvenile law. Youth, Rights & Justice has represented 50,000 individual clients in the juvenile court system, primarily children in foster care.

While YRJ is local, CASA is a national organization that has local branches or affiliates.  While YRJ employs attorneys to represent children, CASA uses volunteers who are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of the child.  Both groups perform advocacy to make sure that children don't get lost in an already overburdened foster care system.

In addition to our representation of individual clients in the juvenile court, YRJ has also set important legal precedents in state and federal courts, has won improvements through class-action litigation and has spent nearly four decades improving public policy in Oregon to improve the lives of children and families.