Jennifer Brobst has served as the Legal Director for the Center for Child and Family Health (CCFH) in Durham since 2006, teaching courses at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law and administering the Legal Program at CCFH.  The Legal Program is part of the NCCU School of Law Clinical Programs.  CCFH is a consortium of mental health, medical, abuse prevention, and legal expertise from NCCU School of Law, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and the non-profit Child and Parent Support Services.  CCFH staff work on local, national and international initiatives and research to assist children who have had traumatic experiences related to abuse or grief.   The Legal Program provides training and legal information to over 50 mental health staff at CCFH, as well providing assistance to CCFH clients from the Durham Community.  The Legal Director participates in several multidisciplinary teams in Durham County related to criminal justice, including the Sexual Assault Response Team, Domestic Violence Response Team, North Carolina Child Response Initiative, and the Child Abuse Multiagency Response Team.  She also supervises legal interns at CCFH from North Carolina Central University School of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, and Duke University Law School.

Prof. Brobst teaches courses in Domestic Violence Law, Children and the Law, Evidence, and Scientific Evidence. Her scholarly research and publications have focused on law reform related to victimology, children’s rights, family violence, and sunshine laws. She has served as a state and national presenter at a wide variety of conferences and continuing legal education seminars, including those for:  Lorman Education Associates, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the National Smart Start Conference, Society of American Law Teachers, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, UNC Chapel Hill School of Government, ABA/NLADA Conference, and the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.  She has been the faculty advisor to the NCCU Women’s Law Caucus since 2004.

Prior to her position as Legal Director, Prof. Brobst was the first Clinical Supervising Attorney for NCCU’s Domestic Violence Clinic/Advocacy Project (2004-2006).  She implemented the first statewide Training Institute at the non-profit North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault in Raleigh (2001-2004).  In 2001, she taught Legal Research and Writing as an adjunct lecturer at Victoria University at Wellington School of Law in New Zealand, while obtaining her Masters in Law.  In St. Joseph County, Indiana, she served as a deputy prosecuting attorney (1999-2000), with a felony caseload focusing on child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, animal abuse, juvenile law and post-conviction relief cases.  She received national training as a child forensic interviewer, in addition to coordinating a teenage pregnancy prevention program and appearing in juvenile court in truancy cases while at The CASIE Center, an accredited child advocacy center in South Bend, Indiana (1998-1999).

In 2008, Prof. Brobst was appointed by Speaker Hackney to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse (including membership on the Rules Committee).  She is currently a member of the Legal Aid of North Carolina (Durham) Advisory Council.  She has also held Board positions with the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, Durham-Orange Women Attorneys, and North Carolina Women United.  She is currently a member of the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She is licensed to practice law in California, Indiana and North Carolina. 

Publications

Contact Information:
(919) 419-3474 ext. 401 - Phone
jbrobst@nccu.edu - Email

Office Location:  Center for Child and Family Health, 411 W. Chapel Hill St., Suite 908, Durham, NC  27701
Website: www.ccfhnc.org