Legal Clinics

Family and Child Legal Advocacy Clinic

Student Clinic Director: Ruth Uptain Ogden

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As a Wyoming native from Casper, I’m no stranger to the rough and tough “cowboy up” mentality. Life has been riddled with both adventure and adversity, victories and valleys. I’m no stranger to embarrassment, especially when trying out for volleyball as a homeschooler, dancing in France with partners speaking a different language, and never managing to get all of my devices on mute during COVID online classes. I’ve also tasted a little success in a few random hobbies – e.g. horse judging, scoring the highest at Arabian Nationals as a youth judge and winning a custom-made saddle; triathlons, qualifying for Xterra Nationals; beach volleyball; and mountaineering, summiting the Grand Teton on two occasions recently.  

My education has taken a nontraditional route, starting with homeschool through high school graduation, taking a brief stop at community college for an associate degree in sociology, and then going on to complete my undergrad in family and consumer science here at the University of Wyoming in 2012. This all led me to work with at-risk youth and families for about six years, namely, working at Boulder County Juvenile Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, and Boulder County Child Protection Services.  

I contemplated higher education for about five years before resolving to come to law school. In anticipation of a career-focused life, I quit my job and exhausted the Schengen Visa by picking cherries in Germany, attending a West Coast Swing dance event in the Côte d’Azur of France, and exploring the forest in Brno, Czech Republic. 

In the legal arena, my goal is to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves and have long-term impact in legal reform. In this vocation, I am searching for the intersection of the strengths I have to offer, public need, and quality of life. I am honored and grateful that, with the support and guidance of Dona Playton, I have been able to carry out these initiatives in the legal field as the student director of the UW Family and Child Legal Advocacy Clinic.   

 

 

Contact the Family and Child Legal Advocacy Clinic

Email: famlaw@uwyo.edu

Phone: 307-766-3747