Claire Chevrier

The Project

Claire established, piloted, and launched education legal clinics in community-based organizations and a juvenile detention center to provide free legal services to students with special education needs.

Of the students committed to D.C.’s juvenile justice agency, 80% have special education needs. With 2000 youth involved in D.C.’s juvenile court system at any given time, access to education plays a critical role for hundreds of students each day. Advocating for special education rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act often requires access to lawyers and for low-income students, successfully fighting for the educational rights to which they are entitled can be difficult.

Fellowship Highlights

In the past two years, Claire has:

• Claire piloted, launched, and ran education legal clinics that provided free legal advice and brief services.
• Claire trained attorneys and created a special education manual to aid their ability to take pro bono special education cases.
• Located countless credits for students, including 19.5 credits for one client, which enabled him to graduate from high school.
• Represented 27 clients in their education matters.

What’s Next

Claire will be joining the ACLU of Ohio as Advocacy Counsel, focusing on bail reform.