Youth Defense is a specialized practice requiring specialized skill, and our goal is to help ensure all juveniles in Wisconsin receive competent and skilled representation. Toward that goal, we developed these Core Principles of Youth Defense Practice. These principles set forth a statewide vision for juvenile defense counsel's role throughout the duration of the juvenile court process that integrates and is consistent with state and Constitutional law, the code of professional responsibility, and the science of adolescent development.

In addition to creating and disseminating these principles, the Youth Defense practice coordinator is always available to provide advice and consultation to inquiries from SPD staff members and private bar attorneys taking juvenile cases. We work hard to remain current on all legal developments in juvenile practice and identify areas where training opportunities would be beneficial. We are here to develop and maintain resources related to juvenile cases, and are connected to other juvenile system entities and stakeholders who help us to identify areas where we may improve our juvenile justice system and better serve our juvenile clients.

We hope that the Youth Defense Practice website will be a readily accessible resource for juvenile defense attorneys to find and share sample motions, ideas, research, and other resources. If you have motions, briefs, guides, etc. that you would like to contribute, please send them our way. We feel that working together is the best way to elevate the practice of juvenile law and improve the delivery of legal services to all our youthful clients.