Professor Lucy Johnston-Walsh organizes mock hearing in conjunction with Penn State Health

CARLISLE, Pa.— Professor Lucy Johnston-Walsh recently organized a mock hearing as part of Penn State Dickinson Law’s partnership with Penn State Health. The mock hearing allowed students from her Children's Advocacy Clinic to practice their courtroom skills by examining an expert witness with questions for both direct and cross-examination.

This event, which she organizes each semester, provides a two-way chance for learning. The child psychiatry fellows need forensic experience and practice testifying, while law students need practice examining an expert witness. Dr. Fauzia Mahr, professor of psychiatry and director of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Training, collaborates in arranging this event for the psychiatrists completing their fellowship in child psychiatry.

“The mock hearing provides a rich experiential learning opportunity that strengthens interdisciplinary collaboration while underscoring the critical role of the legal system in child psychiatric practice,” said Dr. Mahr. “By engaging directly with the structures and processes that shape children’s care, trainees deepen their ability to advocate effectively and navigate the complex intersections of youth mental health and law.”

At the end of the mock hearing, the law students and psychiatrists were able to have an in-depth discussion about the legal issue involved in the mock hearing, specifically placement of foster youth in residential treatment facilities. “The law students appreciated the opportunity to discuss the issue with their physician colleagues and also appreciated the feedback from the judge on their questioning skills,” said Johnston-Walsh.

Judge Michelle Sibert ’98 volunteered to preside over the hearing. The case was based on a real case, and the subject was a motion for modification of placement of a child in the foster care system.

Lucy Johnston-Walsh is an associate professor of law and founding director of the Dickinson Law Children’s Advocacy Clinic. She is also the associate dean for experiential education. Professor Johnston-Walsh’s research, teaching, and service focus on juvenile law, specifically the legal challenges for youth involved in the foster care system. She supervises law students in the legal representation of youth involved in the dependency system, and her scholarship directly relates to systemic issues presented through the clinic cases, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of child advocacy. Her recent scholarship has been published in both medical journals and law reviews, including articles in Seton Hall Law Review, Fordham Urban Law Review and University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Public Affairs.