Jane M. Spinak

A renowned advocate for children’s welfare and juvenile justice, Jane M. Spinak co-founded Columbia Law School’s clinics focused on representing families and children. Spinak most recently directed the Adolescent Representation Clinic, which represented teenagers and young adults aging out of foster care. From 2001 to 2006, Spinak served as the Law School’s director of clinical education. 

Spinak specializes in juvenile justice, child advocacy, and family court reform—teaching, writing, lecturing, and mentoring students interested in public service. Her current scholarship focuses on the history and effectiveness of the Family Court. She has written books and articles for child advocates, lawyers, and judges; has served on numerous committees and task forces addressing the needs and rights of children and families; and has trained and lectured widely on those issues to lawyers, social workers, and mental health professionals. Spinak also teaches professional responsibility and the Pro Bono Scholars externship program. 

Before joining the Columbia Law faculty in 1982, Spinak worked as a staff attorney at the Juvenile Rights Division of The Legal Aid Society of New York City. From 1995 to 1998, while on leave from Columbia, Spinak served as attorney-in-charge of the Juvenile Rights Division.

Spinak is a member of the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children and serves on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. From 2008 to 2011, she co-chaired the Task Force on Family Court in New York City created by the New York County Lawyers Association. She is an adviser on the ALI’s Restatement of the Law, Children and the Law. 

She was the founding board chair of the Center for Family Representation, an advocacy and policy organization dedicated to ensuring the rights of parents in child-welfare proceedings, and continues to serve on the center’s board.