Legal Advocacy Training

"We want to strengthen youth defense."

Legal Community Training

For lawyers, defenders, court actors, and law schools

  • Mitigation fundamentals in youth cases and second-chance resentencings

  • Adolescent development and trauma

  • Building client trust and communication

  • Reentry planning as part of legal advocacy

Training Packages

  • Half-Day Training

    (4 hours)

    • Includes 8–10 hours of preparation and up to 2 scoping calls

    • Interactive sessions covering the fundamentals of mitigation for youth cases

    • Tools, case studies, and templates to apply immediately in practice

    Investment: $4,000

  • Full-Day Training

    (8 hours)

    • Includes 8–10 hours of preparation and up to 2 scoping calls

    • Deep-dive into mitigation, trauma-responsive legal support, and adolescent brain development

    • Breakout sessions, role-play exercises, and tailored curriculum for your team

    Investment: $7,000

*sliding scale options available

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Testimonials

Program Trainers

  • Annie Ruhnke is YSRP's Director of Mitigation and has practiced mitigation since 2010. She previously served in the Federal Public Defender for the District of Delaware's Capital Habeas Unit, where she conducted life-history investigations for individuals facing capital punishment. Annie now leads YSRP's mitigation practice and provides training and technical assistance on trauma-responsive mitigation, narrative development, and client-partner centered advocacy.

  • Alicia Doorey, LSW is a Mitigation Specialist at YSRP with more than six years of experience in mitigation and legal defense. They work alongside young people facing adult prosecution, conducting life-history investigations and partnering with defense teams to build client-centered advocacy. Prior to joining YSRP, Alicia provided mitigation services for adults with serious mental illness at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. They hold a Master's in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Additional Technical Assistance

Sometimes organizations don't need formal training. Sometimes they need expertise.

YSRP’s technical assistance is individualized and tailored to the specific needs that arise; it can take many forms including answering urgent, singular questions to providing in-depth and ongoing, case- or issue-specific strategy and consultation. Equip your team with the skills to advocate for young people charged as adults.

  • In-depth consultation on individual cases where youth are charged as adults, including reviewing cases, offering insights and ideas, developing mitigation and litigation strategies, providing substantive research, and drafting or reviewing motions or briefs.

  • Written sample legal materials on a variety of issues related to youth charged as adults, such as motions to decertify, motions to appoint experts, and mitigation reports.

  • Identifying and referring expert witnesses, mitigation specialists, and other resources for individual cases.

  • Authoring, co-authoring, or joining amicus briefs that address critical issues in youth defense.