Wyoming Children's Law Center, Inc.

Wyoming Children's Law Center, Inc. is a nonprofit providing free or reduced-cost legal services to Wyoming families in special education, guardianship, adoptions, and juvenile justice matters. Founded in 2009, the Laramie-based center combines legal representation with mediation, parent education, and advocacy to protect children's rights and reduce youth system trauma.

About

Wyoming Children's Law Center, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children and vulnerable adults through direct legal services, conflict resolution, and advocacy. Based in Laramie, the Center was founded in 2009 and operates as a 501(c)(3) entity serving Wyoming families at reduced cost or free of charge for those who qualify.

The organization's legal services address critical areas affecting children's safety and well-being. The Center handles special education cases, guardianships, adoptions, and juvenile assistance matters. In education advocacy, the firm works to protect children's rights in special education disputes and challenges harmful school discipline practices including expulsions. The Center also focuses on youth justice system reforms, seeking to improve access to medical care and mental health treatment for young people while reducing practices that traumatize youth and families.

Beyond traditional legal representation, Wyoming Children's Law Center operates Family Tree services, a suite of non-legal offerings that includes mediation, parent education, and supervised visits and exchanges. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the firm's philosophy of helping families move away from conflict toward collaborative problem-solving, drawing on expertise from social workers and other specialists when appropriate. The Youth Justice Coalition, another key program, works within Wyoming communities to address challenges facing youth involved with the criminal justice system and to advocate for evidence-based reforms and school safety improvements.

The Center's leadership includes Executive Director Sulaiman, an attorney who graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2019 and has advocated for children's legal rights across the state. Founder Donna, a 2001 graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law and Child Welfare Law Specialist, now serves as a consultant while continuing her advocacy work. Staff attorney Robin brings two decades of experience providing legal defense services, while Karla and other team members support the Center's mission. The organization also mentors University of Wyoming students, providing practical legal education and experience.

Wyoming Children's Law Center addresses a critical gap in low-income legal services by offering sliding-fee arrangements for families of moderate means and reduced-rate guardianship and mediation services. The firm's work spans local, statewide, and tribal services, with a commitment to improving laws and policies that affect children and vulnerable adults throughout Wyoming.

Overview compiled from the firm's website