Title
Defending Youth with Education Advocacy
Presenter
Taofik Hassan
Education Advocacy Attorney
Juvenile Justice Division
Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender
Date: May 16, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 1:50pm
Location: Virtual via Zoom,
Registration Link: Closed
CLE Hours: 1.0 CLE
Cost: Free
Eligible Audience: Defense only (Appointed Counsel/Panel Attorneys & Staff and Public Defender Attorneys & Staff)
Description:
Taofik Hassan will be presenting issues with clients with hidden or diagnosed disabilities where they have federal law protections. They will also be touching on the topic of defending youth who have no disabilities but may have potential due process rights violations when facing suspension/expulsions.
Bio:
Taofik Hassan is the first Education Advocacy Attorney in the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County Public Defender, where he has been defending court-involved youth since August 2020. Before law school, Taofik served middle and high school students, mostly from low-income communities, as a Wellness and Physical Education Teacher. He felt his work was purposeful and influential as it pertained to impacting young people’s lives who needed it the most. During his time at Brooklyn Law School, Taofik was a board member of the Suspension Representation Project, where he advocated for youth facing superintendent suspensions and coordinated trainings for new members. After law school, Taofik returned to Chicago, where he continues to be a change agent for youth by representing them in re-entry matters, discipline hearings, special education, and other legal proceedings affecting their education.