Anya Ku was a student at EBCLC’s Youth Defender Clinic for two semesters in 2019.
She entered Berkeley Law knowing that she wanted to be an attorney in Dependency Court to support children. After recommendations from her peers, Anya applied to EBCLC’s Youth Defender Clinic, where she gained hands-on experience working closely with youth and practicing juvenile law.
“I got the opportunity to work with clients in a more direct and in-person manner. I enjoyed being able to build connections with them,” said Anya.
Anya was particularly committed to a case that she worked diligently on from its start to finish, something that most students do not get the chance to do due to the lengthy nature of cases and the constraints of the short academic semester. She participated in the spring clinic, where she first received the case. Then, after having summer off, Anya returned to EBCLC in the fall. “It was exciting to come back to EBCLC in the fall semester and find out the case was still going on because it was nice to be able to continue working closely with someone I already knew,” said Anya. “I was, then, responsible for checking in with [my client], making sure they were on the right track to complete probation and checking in with their probation officer.”
Anya argued for a request to dismiss her client’s case and was overjoyed when the request was granted.
“A lot of times there are wins that may not feel like it at the moment, especially in family court when you are dealing with kids targeted by the system– there are lots of losses, but a win is a win!” said Anya, who is finishing up law school this semester. After graduating, she will begin a clerkship and later wishes to work for a nonprofit whose mission is to support children in dependency court.