Brenda Shum

Brenda Shum is an attorney with the Legal Advocacy team who will focus on impact litigation to enforce the rights of children and youth in the areas of education, juvenile justice, child welfare, and immigration. Brenda has served in leadership positions at a number of legal advocacy organizations and has an impressive track record of challenging all the ways in which discrimination impacts children and families – including issues related to education, economic instability, criminal justice, and access to mental health services.

For eight years, Brenda served as the Director of the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law where she worked to ensure that all students have access to equitable educational opportunities regardless of race, socioeconomic status or disability. Before her time at the Lawyers’ Committee, Brenda provided direct legal services to children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems; offered training and technical assistance to juvenile court professionals to reduce the amount of time children spend in foster care; and served as a clinical instructor at Stanford Law School where she worked with law students to represent students with disabilities and students facing school disciplinary proceedings.