Joshua B. Kay, ’08, is co-director of the 1L Advocacy Clinic and a clinical professor of law in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic. He also has taught in the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic.

Kay has litigated numerous child abuse and neglect cases in trial courts, the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the Michigan Supreme Court. His primary interests are at the intersection of disability law and child protection law.

Before earning his JD, he served as an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he studied the cognitive and developmental impacts of pediatric traumatic brain injury and was an attending psychologist and member of the ethics committee at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He also taught courses in clinical assessment and supervised the clinical work of graduate students in the Department of Psychology.

After law school, Kay joined Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service as a Skadden Fellow, receiving a certificate of appreciation from the University of Michigan Council for Disability Concerns for his representation of parents with disabilities in child welfare matters.

Related Information

Education
  • Oberlin College, BA, with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa, R.H. Stetson Award in Psychology and Psychobiology
  • University of Michigan, MA, PhD, psychology, Regents’ Fellow
  • University of Michigan, JD, cum laude

    • Recent Courses

    Featured Scholarship

    "From Zero to Thrive: A Model of Cross-System and Cross-Sector Relational Health to Promote Early Childhood Development across the Child-Serving Ecosystem"

    Infant Mental Health Journal
    MLaw Repository WWW
    • Children and the Law

    "Mental Health Evaluations and Treatment for Parents and Children"

    Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and State Agencies in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases
    • Children and the Law

    "Advocating for Children with Disabilities in Child Protection Cases"

    Touro Law Review
    MLaw Repository HEIN
    • Children and the Law

    "New Juvenile Discovery Rules: Mandatory, Comprehensive, and Streamlined"

    Michigan Bar Journal
    MLaw Repository HEIN
    • Children and the Law
    See All Scholarship
    Activities
    October 2019
    Presented “The Importance of High-Quality Foster Care Review Boards” at the Michigan State Court Administrative Office’s annual Foster Care Review Board training, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
    October 2019
    Presented “Understanding the Legal System and Testifying in Court” at the 38th Annual Michigan Statewide Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Plymouth, Michigan.
    September 2019
    Gave a child welfare law update for the Michigan Court of Appeals, Detroit.
    March 2019
    Presented “Top 20 Child Welfare Cases Everyone Should Know” at the Michigan Appellate Bench-Bar Conference, Plymouth, Michigan.