Kiara Swinton chose MSU College of Law’s Chance at Childhood Clinic because she wanted to gain greater experience in Family Law and with working with children. “It as a good opportunity to gain practical experience while in law school,” she said. “I worked on three cases over this semester. The first was a paternity case, the second a custody and parenting time case, and the last a guardianship case.”

Kiara described the clinic’s environment as a range between “hectic and loud” to peaceful. “Overall, I think the atmosphere is friendly and filled with people who are willing to lend a helping hand,” she said. “I typically visit our two directors once a week to discuss our cases and Jesse is often seen walking around the office helping clinicians.”

In the future, Kiara hopes to become a Juvenile Court judge. “I believe that increasing my experience in Family Law will help prepare me for that goal,” she said. “I believe my familiarity with working on the types of cases I have will be very beneficial in securing a job.”