As part of our National Crime Victims’ Rights Week series, the Wilbanks CEASE Clinic has created a 2-page guide to outline best practices for sharing survivor/client stories in a manner which: Is client-led, survivor-centered, and honors clients’ autonomy; Is trauma-informed and culturally humble; Protects client privacy; Does not cause harm or compromise client safety; Avoids…
Survivors Awarded $345M in Darlington School Sexual Abuse Case
On April 15, Floyd County Judge Adele Grubbs awarded $345 million to 20 survivors of child sexual abuse which occurred at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia between 1977 and 1988. Five insurance companies who provided coverage to the school are responsible for payment of the awarded damages. In addition, the settlement includes an apology from…
2024 CEASE Conference – Register Now
Courageous Advocacy: A Lawyer’s Responsibility in Combatting Child Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Trafficking Join us for an empowering conference aimed at advocates for survivors of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. This event will delve into the crucial role lawyers and advocates play not only in representing clients and survivors, but also in upholding the integrity…
National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, but the law school’s Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic is committed year-round to increasing awareness and education on human trafficking, making resources available to assist individuals and communities impacted by human trafficking, and building diverse public-private partnerships to support a more comprehensive response to prevent…
CEASE Clinic at The Summit
CEASE Clinic Staff Attorney Brian Atkinson and Social Work Advocate Jocelyn Crumpton recently led a workshop at The Summit, a statewide, multi-disciplinary conference designed for child welfare professionals to share best practices and collaborate across professions. This year’s Summit was attended by 650 individuals working in child welfare – case managers, lawyers, judges, policy makers,…
CEASE Director Emma Hetherington Testifies Before U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
“My statement is not meant to disparage the individual case managers and other professionals working for Georgia DFCS who are protecting children in Georgia. However, DFCS’s overarching structure, internal policies, and administrative barriers obstruct their good work, and when this happens, our clients experience extreme harm.” On Wednesday, October 25, CEASE Clinic Director Emma Hetherington…
CEASE Featured in Advocate Magazine
The Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic’s work has been featured in Advocate Magazine, the official online magazine for the University of Georgia School of Law. Since opening in January 2016, the CEASE Clinic has served more than 200 survivors of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. The Advocate article highlights some of the…
CEASE Director Emma Hetherington Featured on The Children’s Law Podcast
Clinical Associate Professor and CEASE Clinic Director Emma Hetherington was interviewed for The Children’s Law Podcast, explaining why she thinks a huge barrier to effectively serving survivors of child sex trafficking is that stakeholders don’t fully understand what trafficking is. Hetherington discusses how children’s circumstances and behaviors need to be examined differently when exploitation and…
CEASE Clinic Director and Legal Intern Publish “Trauma-Informed Legal Representation for Youth in Sexual-Abuse-to-Prison Pipeline”
CEASE Clinic Director Emma Hetherington and Legal Intern Copelenn McMahon (’23) published “Trauma-Informed Legal Representation for Youth in Sexual-Abuse-to-Prison Pipeline” along with School of Social Work Assistant Professor Allison Dunnigan in the American Bar Association’s Committee on Children’s Rights Litigation Newsletter. The article discusses how legal systems and stakeholders often criminalize behavioral trauma responses of…
CEASE Clinic Secures $1.1 Million Verdict for Client
Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic Staff Attorney Brian Atkinson and second year student Jessica L. Davis secured a $1.1 million verdict for their client after a three-day trial in Rockdale County, Georgia. The court found that the defendant, who was the clinic’s client’s stepfather, committed acts of child molestation to, with and in the presence…