On RFD-TV:  Michelle Paxton

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05/06/2025 Added

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Today we’re joined by Michelle Paxton, Michelle Paxton, Assistant Professor and Director of the Children’s Justice Programs at the University of Nebraska. Michelle leads efforts to improve legal representation for children and families across Nebraska, especially in rural communities.

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[00:00:00.000]Rural communities often face hurdles in accessing resources, with everything from health care to attorneys.
[00:00:06.620]The University of Nebraska is now working to bridge the gap and improve legal representation for rural families.
[00:00:13.580]Director of the Children's Justice Program, Michelle Paxton, joins us now with an update.
[00:00:18.480]Michelle, it's so good to have you with us today.
[00:00:20.620]Give us a little background on this attorney education program and why it's needed in Nebraska.
[00:00:25.880]Well, thank you so much for letting me be here today.
[00:00:29.900]Nebraska's rural attorneys face a real shortage of attorneys working in juvenile court.
[00:00:36.220]We have 12 counties without any attorneys and 18 with three or fewer.
[00:00:42.300]But what makes this really challenging is these cases are incredibly complex.
[00:00:47.820]They often involve substance use, mental health, poverty, and families in crisis.
[00:00:53.660]And these require a unique skill set.
[00:00:56.380]So our program is an eight-month fellowship that
[00:00:59.580]recruits and supports those rural attorneys.
[00:01:02.060]We give them training, peer support, and all the tools they need to stay in this important work.
[00:01:08.300]We just started our fourth cohort, and we're seeing real impact.
[00:01:13.340]All of our attorneys are better prepared, more confident, and almost more importantly,
[00:01:19.740]they're more likely to continue handling these vital cases in Nebraska.
[00:01:23.660]What a great program, a good way to incentivize them to come back and represent
[00:01:29.260]these rural communities. Let's talk a little bit more about what you just touched on,
[00:01:33.660]some of the results that you're seeing from those who actually complete the program.
[00:01:37.820]Absolutely. We are seeing measurable results just
[00:01:43.120]in the three cohorts that we've already done. Fellows report that they are spending 10 more
[00:01:48.880]hours a week on juvenile court cases, their knowledge scores improve, and then more importantly,
[00:01:54.840]their commitment to this important work continues. We've had attorneys say they were on the ready
[00:02:01.480]to step away from this work due to burnout. After the fellowship, they have renewed purpose
[00:02:07.780]and community support to keep going, which is exactly what we were hoping.
[00:02:13.020]Definitely so. And I understand that there is a new development related to this work?
[00:02:18.720]Absolutely. We're thrilled the Nebraska Board of Regents recently approved the creation of the
[00:02:26.520]Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center. This new center brings together our
[00:02:33.140]rural attorney program, our clinical program, which trains
[00:02:37.620]law students and new research focused on improving legal representation for families statewide.
[00:02:45.080]This allows us to train attorneys, mentor students, and dig deeper into the data so we can keep
[00:02:51.220]improving outcomes for Nebraska's children and families.
[00:02:55.860]It sounds like this center will serve as a hub and really have a long-term impact.
[00:03:00.580]So what's next and how can people learn more?
[00:03:04.380]Absolutely. Our next step is to continue growing awareness
[00:03:07.460]and building the sustainable program so we can thrive long-term.
[00:03:12.620]If you'd like to learn more, you can check out our website at Nebraska Law.
[00:03:17.620]Wonderful. That's Director of the Children's Justice Program
[00:03:20.700]at the University of Nebraska, Michelle Paxton.
[00:03:23.660]Appreciate your time today, Michelle.

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