Stacey E. Platt
Curt and Linda Rodin Clinical Professor of Law and Social Justice
Associate Director, Civitas ChildLaw Center and Clinic
Stacey Platt is a Curt & Linda Rodin Clinical Professor of Law & Social Justice and the associate director of the Civitas ChildLaw Center and Clinic, where she trains law students to represent children in legal proceedings, with a special focus on children involved in private parenting disputes. She serves as a faculty lecturer and trainer in law school courses involving child and family law and trial practice and is a frequent teacher for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Professor Platt has dedicated her career to representing low-income children and families. Before joining Loyola, she was a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, where she focused on domestic violence and child protection. She has extensive experience representing survivors in domestic violence matters, as well as parents, caretakers, and children in abuse and neglect proceedings and private parenting matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Professor Platt was a caseworker in the New York City child welfare system.
Professor Platt is the president (2023-2024) and a long-time member of the board of directors of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an international and interdisciplinary membership organization focused on best policies and practices in family law matters. She serves on the editorial board of Family Court Review, a widely read, peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal. She speaks nationally and frequently on child and family law issues.
Professor Platt is a recipient of the Chicago Bar Association’s Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence for contributions to improving access to justice and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts President’s Award.
Education
BA, Wisconsin, 1984
JD cum laude, New York University, 1991
Courses Taught
ChildLaw Clinic
ChildLaw Capstone
ChildLaw Trial Practice
Publications/Research Listings
Recent Publications
Stacey Platt, Laura Matthews-Jolly, Advocating for Children: Integrating Children’s Voices and Interests in Family Dispute Resolution, for the Family Dispute Resolution Handbook, to be published by Oxford University Press, expected May 2024.
Michael Saini, Taina Laajaslo, Stacey Platt, Gatekeeping by Allegations: An Examination of Verified, Unfounded, and Fabricated Allegations of Child Maltreatment within the Context of Resist and Refusal Dynamics, Family Court Review Vol. 58, Issue 2, (April 2020)
Marsha Kline-Pruett, Stacey Platt, William Fee, Introduction to the Guidelines for Social Science Research in Family Law, Family Court Review, Volume 57, Issue 2 (April 2019)
Stacey Platt, Set Another Place at the Table: Child Participation in Family Separation Cases, Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 17, No. 3 (2016)
Selected Presentations
Moderator, “Family Justice Reform: Values, Services, and Science in a Politicized Environment,” Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Joint Conference on Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement, Washington, D.C. (September 2023)
Moderator, “Child Advocates Mentoring,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Virtual (February 2023)
Co-Presenter, “Child Advocacy in Hague Cases,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Virtual (March 2022)
Panelist, “What to do about Vaccines in Family Court Disputes,” Illinois Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Lunch & Learn Series, Virtual (February 2022)
Panelist, “Mind the Gap: Technology, Access, Connection, Equity, and Justice,” AFCC Annual Conference, Use, Misuse and Abuse of Technology in Family Law, Chicago, IL (May 2022)
Plenary Moderator, “Transgender Children and Child Custody: Research and Practice,” AFCC Conference, Unmuting the Voices of Children and Families: Can you Hear Me Now? Cincinnati, OH (November 2021)
Co-Presenter, “The Child’s Voice in Rashomon: The Mental Health Professional, The Child Advocate, and the Judge,” AFCC/AAML Joint Conference on Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement, Washington, DC (September 2021)
Plenary Panelist, “Betting on the Voice of the Child in Parenting Disputes,” AFCC Symposium on Child Custody: Stacking the Deck in Favor of Children, Virtual (November 2020)
Moderator, “What Judges Talk about when they Talk about Child Advocates,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Virtual (September 2020)
Co-Presenter, “Allegations of Child Abuse during Child Custody Disputes,” AFCC Special Webinar Series on Parent-Child Contact Problems (June 2020)
Co-Presenter, “Child Voice and Participation in High Conflict Cases,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Virtual (October 2019)
Plenary Co-Presenter, "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Considering the Child’s Voice in Family Court Cases,” and Co-Teacher (two sessions), “Child and Parent Representation in High Conflict Custody Cases: On Being and Managing the Child Advocate,” AFCC/AAML Joint Conference on Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement, San Diego, CA (September 2017)
Co-Presenter, “Role, Scope, and Limitations of Representation” and “Access to Justice in Family Court,” Illinois State Bar Association, Guardian ad Litem, Child Representative, and Attorney for Minor Child Training, Chicago, IL (September 2017)
Panelist, “Thinking Critically: The AFCC Task Force on the Use of Social Science in Family Law,” AFCC Annual Conference, Turning the Kaleidoscope of Family Conflict into a Prism of Family Harmony, Boston, MA (June 2017)
Co-Presenter, “Navigating Privacy and Confidentiality in Child-Related Cases,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, continuing Education for Child Representatives, Chicago, IL (November 2016)
Panelist, “Bias in the Family: The Role of Race and Culture in Custody Disputes,” AFCC Annual Conference, Modern Families: New Challenges, New Solutions, Seattle, WA (June 2016)
Speaker, “Children in the House: Child Voice in Family Law Cases,” Judicial Officers’ Best Practices Institute, Denver, CO (June 2016)
Panelist, Film Screening and Discussion, “No Way Out,” SHALVA, Chicago, IL (June 2016)
Symposium Invitee, “Reimagining Children’s Immigration Adjudications: Learning from Reforms in Child Protection and Juvenile Justice,” the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights at the University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL (September 2016)
Plenary Panelist, “Do You Hear What I Hear? Listening to the Voice of the Child,” AFCC Regional Conference, Columbus, OH (November 2015)
Invitee, National Family Law Summit, Honoring Families Initiative/Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, Colorado Springs, CO (November 2015)
Presenter, “Children in the House: Child Voice in Family Conflict,” Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution Jed D. Melnick Symposium, New York, NY (October 2015)
Speaker, “Interviews and In Cameras,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Chicago, IL (September 2015)
Plenary Presenter, “Seen but Not Heard: Moving Beyond Quieted Children in the Middle,” AFCC Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations, San Antonio, TX (November 2014)
Plenary Presenter, “Shared Parenting of the Future,” AFCC National Conference, Riding the Wave of the Future: Global Voices, Expanding Choices, Los Angeles, CA (June 2013)
Presenter, “Zealous Advocacy and Best Interests: Ethical Dilemmas in Family Law,” AFCC National Conference, Attachment, Brain Science and Children of Divorce: the ABCD’s of Child Development for Family Law, Chicago, IL (Summer 2012)
Presenter, “The Child’s Role in Family ADR,” Marquette University School of Law National Invitational Conference on the Future of ADR in Family Law, Milwaukee, WI (Fall 2011)
Presenter, “Attack on Child Representatives,” Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Relations Division, Continuing Legal Education for Child Representatives, Chicago, IL (Fall 2011)
Presenter, “Who is my Client?” Annual National Legal Aid Conference, Chicago, IL (Fall 2011)
Faculty, “Building Partnerships between Legal Services Programs and Law School Clinics,” ABA Comm. on Domestic and Sexual Violence, San Diego, CA (Summer 2011)
Presenter, Lilac Tree Divorce College, Evanston, IL (Summer 2011)
Presenter, “Building Connections with Child Clients,” with Professor Sacha Coupet, Loyola University Chicago School of Law Norman Amaker Retreat, Woodstock, IL (Spring 2011)
Guest Lecturer, “Role of the Child Representative in Domestic Violence Cases,” John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL (2009, 2010)
Panelist, “What’s Wrong with Children’s Rights?” New York University Law School Forum, New York, NY (2007)
Selected Appointments and Recognition
Board President (July 2023-2024) and Member, Executive Board and Board of Directors, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) (2014-present)
Recipient, AFCC President’s Award (2019)
Member, Uniform Law Commission, Joint Editorial Board on Family Law (2018-2023)
Practitioner in Residence, Children and Family Law Center, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, KS (February 2018)
Reporter, AFCC Interdisciplinary Task Force on the Use of Social Science Research in Family Law (2016-2018)
Recipient, Chicago Bar Association Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence for Public Service by a Law School Professor (2011)
Member, Cook County Domestic Relations Division Child Representative Screening and Education Committees (2012-Present)
Faculty, American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, litigation training programs for survivor representatives (2006-Present)
Editorial Board Member, Family Court Review, a publication of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Hofstra University Center on Children and Families (2004-Present)
Advisory Board Member, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, Honoring Families Initiative (2012-2018)
Member, Chicago Council of Lawyers Work Group on Domestic Relations (2008-2019)
Member, National Immigrant Justice Center Task force on Unaccompanied Minors (2008-2016)
Member, Cook County Domestic Relations Division Advisory Group on Mediation and Parent Education (2009-2011)
Faculty, National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Litigation Training for Child and Family law Practitioners, Hofstra University School of Law, New York (2004-2013)
Member, American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence Child Custody Institute Advisory Committee (2006)
Member, Advisory Committee, Family Law Education Reform Project (2004-2005)