Nuances Involving the Cases with Juveniles
Colorado attorney Lara Marks Baker explains the nuances of working with teenagers — having to explain the cases to them in non-legal terms, making the process clear and understandable for them, and answering their questions. She also discusses building trust with juveniles.
For more information, contact Colorado law firm Foster Graham by phone at (303) 333-9810.
“Juveniles, they haven’t yet sort of seen as much of the world as adults have, and so, oftentimes, it is a lot of explanation in non-legal terms about: what’s coming, what’s the process going to look like, what is the impact going to be on the rest of your life, and how do you want to evaluate that? And certainly if a juvenile is looking at a probationary sentence as part of any plea disposition, they have to really understand that this serious business. And that’s my job; it’s to walk the line in terms of helping a client understand the system and perhaps the severity of the charges that they face and also developing a rapport with the young person so that they feel like they can trust me as an adult and as their advisor. But I do know what I’m talking about. I’ve done this a time or two and it is in their best interest to kind of follow the advice of the people who have a little bit more life experience than they may.”