Diane Rondini, a retired public defender, has received the 2024 Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Leadership Award for Excellence in Youth Defense.
Diane Rondini, a retired public defender and past chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin Children and the Law Section Board, has received the 2024 Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Leadership Award for Excellence in Youth Defense at the Gault Center's Youth Defense Leadership Summit in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 19, 2024.
About the Award
The Shepherd Award celebrates the life and legacy of a visionary leader whose work significantly impacted the establishment and growth of youth defense. Robert Shepherd served as a professor of law for over 30 years and created what is now the Children's Defense Clinic at the University of Richmond School of Law, nurturing the careers of generations of youth defense advocates. During his lifetime, he led numerous reform efforts to roll back waiver of youth to adult court and strengthen right to counsel for young people. The youth defense community stands on his shoulders, and this award honors his legacy.
Each year, the Gault Center honors Robert Shepherd's contributions by celebrating a youth defender who exemplifies outstanding dedication and advocacy in youth defense.
Diane was nominated by the State Public Defender administration and dozens of former and current public defenders, as well as Judge Everett Mitchell and retired Judge Dennis Cimpl.
What Rondini's Nominators Say
Rondini is deserving of this award for the substantial improvements she has made in the lives of Wisconsin's youth.
Rondini began her long and successful career with the State Public Defender (SPD) in 1987 after she graduated from the U.W. Law School. While at the public defender's office, Rondini represented generations of Wisconsin youth. She has amazing rapport with clients, and many clients stayed in contact with her even after their cases had closed. She always made clients feel heard and was a wonderful advocate for their wishes in court.
During her time at the SPD, Rondini mentored dozens of attorneys and trained many more when she became one of the statewide specialty practice area coordinators for youth defense. Through this work, Rondini coordinated and led training sessions on how to passionately and zealously represent children and reminded attorneys that youth are not just "little adults."
Additionally, Rondini taught as an adjunct instructor at Bryant & Stratton College and Marquette University.
In an effort to shape policies that would benefit all Wisconsin youth, Rondini served on and led many committees and boards. She served as the president of the board for the Children and the Law Section. She was the co-director of the Midwest Juvenile Defender Center and a member of the National Advisory Board for the Gault Center. Diane continues to serve on the Governor's Juvenile Justice Commission and the Raise the Age Coalition.
Expanding Youth Representation
Rondini has spearheaded two important initiatives that have expanded the representation of youth and the quality of that representation.
First, Rondini was one of the co-creators of the Student Expulsion Prevention Project (StEPP.) This program is a volunteer-based program that has trained volunteer lawyers to represent youth in expulsion hearings. Understanding that the effects of young people's behavior ripples beyond the courtroom, Rondini addressed an issue she saw in her practice of students unfairly facing expulsion from school.
Second, Rondini applied for a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) for the State Public Defender titled the Juvenile Rural Access to Training and Expertise (J-RATE.) From 2021 through 2024, J-RATE trained hundreds of attorneys in Wisconsin to become better advocates for youth and also trained hundreds of judges, social workers, and attorneys about the collateral consequences of juvenile court adjudication. This program has built capacity for the SPD to provide improved training and continuing education for Wisconsin youth defenders. Additionally, Rondini was a co-sponsor in the petition that ended indiscriminate shackling in Wisconsin.
In summary, Rondini has had a tremendous influence in her clients' lives: she has mentored and trained generations of new attorneys to become outstanding advocates like herself and she has provided extraordinary leadership on initiatives that will provide lasting positive changes for youth in Wisconsin courts for decades to come.
About the Gault Center
The Gault Center (formerly known as the National Juvenile Defender Center) is a national organization that works to improve the juvenile legal system and protect the rights of young people. They provide a resource library, technical assistance to youth defenders, including answering questions, providing advice, and offering counsel on reform campaigns. The Gault Center also works to confront bias and unequal treatment of young people in the court system, and works to develop data collection systems and research agendas to establish effective services for youth.
It is a tremendous honor for Diane to receive this prestigious award.
This article was originally published on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Children & the Law Section Blog. Visit the State Bar sections or the Children & the Law Section webpages to learn more about the benefits of section membership.
