ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the obligation of defender offices to advocate for their clients both within and outside of the courtroom. It looks back on the efforts of one organization to do so during the late 1990s blitzkrieg: the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Division (JRD), New York City's principal defender for children charged with delinquency. The National Juvenile Defender Center's (NJDC) National Juvenile Defense Standards impose an even more explicit obligation on both individual defenders and defender organizations. Each organization drew on its individual strengths, relationships, and expertise to implement advocacy strategies that were consistent with the Coalition's goals but not necessarily pursued in tandem with those of other member organizations. Whatever the means, juvenile defenders must lend their unique perspective to bear and raise their powerful voices on behalf of the often voiceless children they serve.
