Matthew I. Fraidin Associate Professor of Law B.A., Haverford College, 1987; J.D., University of Wisconsin, 1993. Matthew Fraidin is co-director of the HIV/AIDS law clinic and Associate Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Professor Fraidin also teaches Professional Responsibility and Disaster Law: Katrina and Beyond. Prior to joining the law school, he served as Legal Director of The Children's Law Center in Washington, DC, Supervising Attorney at The Legal Aid Society of DC, and Associate Counsel to Vice President Al Gore. Professor Fraidin frequently addresses local and national groups about family law, lawyering skills, and clinical legal education. Professor Fraidin's recent speeches, seminars and training presentations include addresses to the 2004, 2005, and 2006 annual gatherings of the District of Columbia Neglect and Delinquency Practice Institute, and the 2006 District of Columbia Annual Judicial and Bar Conference. Professor Fraidin also presented a paper at a February 12, 2007 symposium at the American University Washington College of Law, "UNmarried With Children . . . ."

Curriculum vitae (.pdf) Tel: (202) 274-7328 E: mifraidin@yahoo.com

Professor Fraidin has served as an invited guest lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Law, William and Mary School of Law, and American University Washington College of Law, and spent the spring semester of 2007 as a Visiting Professor in the Domestic Violence Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center. An expert in the areas of kinship care, child custody, and child abuse and neglect, Professor Fraidin is a member of numerous D.C. Superior Court committees and has testified before the U.S. Senate and the D.C. Council about a variety of proposed legislation. Professor Fraidin has been interviewed on several Washington, DC-area radio and television programs and quoted in numerous newspaper articles on the subjects of child abuse and neglect and family law.

In addition to his contributions in the area of family law, Professor Fraidin also carries on the proud legacy of Antioch Law School and the DC School of Law by his significant national contributions in the area of clinical legal education. Professor Fraidin was selected to serve as Discussion Group Leader at the 2006 Association of American Law Schools Clinical Section annual conference in New York City and the 2007 conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Professor Fraidin also presented remarks as a concurrent session panelist at both conferences. Professor Fraidin serves as Editor of the Bibliography of Clinical Legal Education, a comprehensive, annotated list of all scholarly articles on the subject of clinical legal education.

Advocating for D.C. families in all their forms...

• Professor Fraidin says proposed open record laws must go further to hold child protection officials accountable in Killer was known to city as a child abuser (The Washington Examiner, 07/26/10)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's Open letter to Mayor Fenty and members of the D.C. Council argues that Bill 18-344, "Information Sharing To Improve Services For Children And Families Act Of 2009,” and Bill 18-356, "Jacks-Fogle Family Preservation Case Coordination Authorization Act Of 2009,” obstruct transparency, accountability, and open government. (07/08/10) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's letter to the editor calls for open child welfare proceedings in End most secret courts for children (The Washington Post, 03/29/10)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin recognized for efforts to bring transparency to D.C.'s child welfare system in Secrecy in child welfare cases creates monsters (The Washington Examiner, 03/26/10)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's foster care panel at UDC symposium called "eye-opening" and "soul-searing" in An alternative to foster care's 'toxic intervention' (The Washington Examiner, 03/02/10) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on the need to open foster care records in order to identify systemic gaps in Court records: P.G. social services approved pimp as foster father (The Washington Examiner, 01/17/10)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on the need to unseal court records in foster care cases in Foster father accused of pimping child expected to plead guilty (The Washington Examiner, 12/31/09)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's testimony before the D.C. Council Committee On Public Safety and the Judiciary on B-18-344, Information Sharing To Improve Services For Children And Families Act, Opening Child Welfare Proceedings in the Family Court of the District of Columbia: "Sunshine is Good for Children" (November 4, 2009) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's statement and supporting materials for the D.C. Council Public Oversight Roundtable on "Improving Transparency: Open Government in the District of Columbia," Opening Child Welfare Proceedings in the Family Court of the District of Columbia: "Sunshine is Good for Children" (October 14, 2009) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on the pace of reform within the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in Report: Child welfare agency still inadequate (The Washington Examiner, 05/05/09)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on overreaction by the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in Child Deaths Led to Excessive Foster Care Placements, Critics Say (The Washington Post, 01/08/09) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's press conference statement, D.C. Child Welfare by the Numbers: The 97% Solution (Press Conference on D.C. Child Welfare System, UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 01/07/09) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on the quality of reform within the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in Big Backlog of Abuse, Neglect Cases Is Cut (The Washington Post, 12/19/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the Mayor's pledge to revive the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in Newsmakers: Adrian Fenty (The Washington Examiner, 11/19/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on protecting adoptive families in D.C. eyes required checks on adoptive parents (The Associated Press, 10/09/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin advocating for courts to open adoption hearings in Frozen Children, Icy Silence--Time To Adopt Openness (Raw Fisher, The Washington Post, 10/05/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on failures in D.C.'s adoption system in Sources: Accused mom details deaths of frozen girls (The Washington Examiner, 10/03/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on the evening news to discuss D.C.'s response to the deaths of adopted children in Children Adopted in DC (Fox 5, 09/29/08) (video link)
  
  
• Professors Fraidin and McLain's attempts to uncover the emergency plans for the D.C. Jail were the subject of the cover story, Cache and Carry (The Washington City Paper, 09/22/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin comparing emergency preparedness in New Orleans and D.C. in Va., Md. sending aid teams to New Orleans as Gustav nears (The Washington Examiner, 09/02/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin's efforts to stick up for poor parents is one of the 10 Brightest Ideas of the Week (The Washington Examiner, 08/24/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin on helping poor parents take on D.C.'s child welfare bureaucracy in The 3-Minute Interview: Matt Fraidin (The Washington Examiner, 08/19/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted in Disproportionate number of black children removed by child-welfare officials, study shows (The Washington Examiner, 08/18/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in Girl, 6, dead in apparent overdose of father’s antidepressants (The Washington Examiner, 08/05/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in D.C. Social Workers Remove More Kids (The Washington Post, 06/03/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency in After 4 girls’ slayings, welfare agency floods family court with abuse cases (The Washington Examiner, 06/03/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding care for the District's most vulnerable residents in Report: Clinic treats brain-damaged patients ‘like garbage’ (The Washington Examiner, 05/20/08)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the District's Child and Family Services Agency in Child-welfare agency scraps emergency plan (The Washington Examiner, 03/27/08) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007 in Mayor signs bill to save the children (The Hill, 07/18/07) (scroll down for article)
  
  
• Watch Professor Fraidin speak about Kinship Care during an event at American University Washington College of Law (WCL). Go to WCL's Video Presentations, then scroll down to "UNmarried . . . With Children: Evaluating Legal Constraints and Social Judgments - Monday, February 12, 2007." Professor Fraidin appears on "Panel 3: Obtaining Public and Health Benefits for Non-Marital Families."
  
  
• Testimony of Matthew I. Fraidin before the District of Columbia Council Committee on Human Services regarding the Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007 (February 8, 2007) (.pdf)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007 in Health bill from Tommy Wells (The Hill, 01/17/07) (scroll down for article)
  
  
• Listen to Professor Fraidin speak about "DC Grandparents as Guardians" on WETA's The Intersection radio program (WETA 90.9FM, 12/14/06)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007 in Elder Hostile: Court decision threatens D.C.'s grandparent custodians (Washington City Paper, 12/08/06)
  
  
• Professor Fraidin quoted regarding the Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007 in D.C. Family Court: You’ll get mugged (The Hill, 09/27/06) (scroll down for article)
  
  
• Statement of Matthew I. Fraidin, Legal Director, The Children's Law Center, before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on the District of Columbia regarding the Family Court Transition Plan of the District of Columbia Superior Court (April 24, 2002) (.pdf)
  
  
• Testimony of Matthew I. Fraidin, Legal Director, The Children's Law Center, before the Human Services Committee of the Council of the District of Columbia regarding the Standy Guardianship Act of 2001 (November 27, 2001) (.pdf)