In the delinquency court, there are special rules that do not apply in adult criminal court: there is no right to a jury trial; a minor who is found "fit" for juvenile court (i.e. his/her age and the relatively less serious nature of the crime justify treating the child as a juvenile rather than an adult) is handled with a more social work approach rather than being treated as a hardened criminal the maximum period of confinement for any crime as a juvenile is age 25, and alternatives to long-term jail sentences are attempted, such as home on probation, a short stay in juvenile hall or camp rather than California Youth Authority, which is a prison for the most serious youthful offenders; and there is no right to bail. Thus, there are strategy considerations when representing a minor charged with a serious crime: on the one hand, if convicted as an adult offender, the punishment may be more severe; on the other hand, as an adult, the minor is entitled to bail pending trial and to a trial by jury. A lawyer representing a youthful offender also has the flexibility to explore creative sentencing options, including inpatient psychiatric or drug counseling, work release, school release, and other options.
In dependency court, there are also special rules governing "suitable placement" of the child and "family reunification" on the one hand, alternative placement, such as with a relative on the other, or in extreme cases of abuse, termination of the rights of the parental rights, including custody and visitation, as to the abusing parent. Here more than ever the lawyer, whether representing the abusing parent, the other parent, the child, or in some cases other persons who are seeking custody, needs to be sensitive, experienced and multidisciplinary in approach, legal, psychological, sociological, cross-cultural, and other. Few lawyers have the background, training, education and experience to do this; I believe I do.