Shani M. King, J.D.

Professor of Law

Levin College of Law

2015 Awardee

Shani King’s research and writing is in the areas of children’s rights and family law, with a particular focus on the role of child’s counsel in various contexts. More generally, King writes about the rights of children and families, especially those families from traditionally underserved populations, and the public responsibility to protect those rights. King is working on a book project, exploring the extent to which legal protections for families vary with race, physical and mental ability and mental health, socioeconomic status, immigration status, gender, and sexual orientation. In 2013, King submitted an article to the leading peer-reviewed family law journal, the Family Law Quarterly. The ABA uses that article, entitled “The Hague Convention and Domestic Violence: Proposals for Balancing the Policies of Discouraging Child Abduction and Protecting Children from Domestic Violence,” to train professionals in the field. The article also serves as a resource for national and international academic conferences focused on women, children and justice. King is working with researchers at Georgetown University who are exploring the rise of mass incarceration and its effects on individuals, families and communities. In particular, King is exploring the Baby Elmo Program, a cost-effective sustainable parent instruction and child visitation intervention created for use with incarcerated teen parents. King is also working with leading human rights advocates on a project that involves an analysis of legislation that applies to child migrants. As director of the Center on Children and Families, King is leading a project that’s aim is to develop an innovative application that helps low-income individuals gain access to legal services.