Email from Children's Law Center

Friends,

Last week, the National Association of Counsel for Children honored our long-time Appellate Director Melissa Colangelo as its Outstanding Legal Advocate of 2025.

The appellate work she leads has shaped DC child welfare law for the better – including advocating for sufficient due process for our clients and their families by moving proceedings away from reliance on assumptions and toward a current, evidence-based understanding of harms facing children. The NACC recognized not only the direct impact of her work for DC children and families but also Melissa’s efforts to expand this approach across the country, partnering with other legal services organizations to strengthen appellate strategies and prevent children from unnecessarily being removed from their families.

Melissa with NACC Chief Executive Officer Kim Dvorchak (L) and NACC Board President Dawne Mitchell (R).

During her acceptance speech at NACC’s National Child Welfare Law Conference, Melissa spoke to the impact the entire Children’s Law Center team has had in pursuing better outcomes for children and the importance of collaboration and courage given the moment we are in:

"It’s a field that can be challenging on the best of days, and these are not the best of days… Just fighting for the basic dignity and humanity our clients deserve like any other litigant? That can now appear almost radical. And with foundational legal principles more uncertain than ever, it can seem like justice isn’t just delayed, it’s disappearing.

But there’s power in being an underdog. ...And like other underdogs, we may be underestimated. But we know that through collective action, we are greater than the sum of our parts – as evidenced by the people and idea-sharing [across this community].”

In this time of upheaval and fear, especially here in DC, and with access to justice under attack across our entire nation, it is essential that we come together, learn from each other and keep finding ways to move the law forward for children and families across the country.

I hope you will join me in congratulating Melissa and take inspiration from what we can accomplish by working together.

With gratitude,

LaShanda Adams

Chief Legal Officer

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