When Jodie Howard (Law ’19) texted that the BREN Clinic was looking for a new program director, it felt like a good fit, except that my knowledge of special education law did not extend too far beyond what I have learned from my child’s special education journey.
Jodie literally wrote the book on special education (“A Parent Guide To Special Education Law & Proactive Advocacy”) in law school while she was earning the top marks that would make her the valedictorian of our class. While we both graduated in 2019, our paths did not cross much until our last year of school because I was in the three-year program I started with a different cohort. I knew who she was, of course. She was the one getting all the Witkins. Also, our sons went to the same behavioral therapy center, so I saw Jodie’s husband and her son, Bren, the clinic’s namesake, most weekdays.
Jodie created the BREN Clinic in 2019 to train the next generation of attorneys in special education law while assisting caregivers navigating the special education morass.
Whoever replaced Jodie would have big shoes to fill. Metaphorically, of course. Her actual shoes would not make for a Cinderella ending.
I loved my time as a student at SJCL. So, naturally, after speaking with Jodie, and then the leadership team, I decided to take the leap. I began my role as Program Director in June 2024 by auditing Special Education Law and Administrative Law as well as familiarizing myself with the clinic’s case management system and the extensive training guides Jodie created. In addition to being brilliant, Jodie is also meticulous, making my transition into this role relatively seamless.
The BREN Clinic serves seven valley counties from Kern to Mariposa. Since its inception, BREN has helped over 850 families. Additionally, the clinic offers a free 8-week advocacy class for caregivers each Spring. This year, we had over 300 people register for the class.
Prior to working in the BREN Clinic, I was a criminal defense attorney specializing in post-conviction relief at my solo practice (Wentworth Law Firm). Before going solo in 2022, I had the great fortune to work with SJCL alum David Mugridge (Law ’85) as a law clerk and associate attorney in his busy practice. Most notably, I worked on the penalty phase of People v. Johnson, a death penalty case, where I learned the ins and outs of mitigation. In that case and my subsequent cases, I reviewed a large number of school records. I discovered that most of my clients had diagnosed — or undiagnosed — special needs as children. Nearly all of my long-term incarcerated clients had their first arrest between 11-13 years old for actions at school.
The BREN Clinic gives me the opportunity to get in front of the school-to-prison pipeline by helping children with special needs access support and resources at school. To that end, I’ve been reaching out to juvenile public defenders with the help of SJCL alum Laura Higareda-Chapa. Through that connection, the BREN Clinic was invited to give an MCLE presentation this summer for the California Office of the State Public Defender on criminalizing special needs.
Building on the outreach Jodie did, it is my hope to reach the most vulnerable children through outreach to community organizations serving these families.
Language is a barrier for many families with special needs children. My first semester running the clinic, three of my four clerks spoke Spanish; however, this semester, I have no Spanish speaking clerks. Luckily, SJCL has a wonderful administrative assistant, Erika Rangel, who is working on a master’s degree in Spanish at Fresno State. She has stepped in to translate for us this semester.
Our language void will be filled in the near term by a new grant from the Central California Women’s Conference. This grant will allow us to hire translators on an ad hoc basis to accommodate any language. We will also use the grant to provide more content online in Spanish.
It is such an honor to run Jodie’s clinic and help Central Valley children achieve according to their abilities. I could not ask for a better mentor or supervisor. And, after 10 months, it feels like the shoes are starting to fit.
