Carlyn Hicks, Senior Staff A
ttorney and Clinical Adjunct Professor at Mission First Legal Aid Office at Mississippi College School of Law, has spearheaded efforts to make Parent Representation in Child Welfare cases a reality for Mississippi families. As clinical adjunct professor and founding supervising attorney of the Child Welfare and Family Justice Clinic, she provides supervision, instruction, and training to third year law students interested in learning hands-on experience and gaining skill development in family defense.
Carlyn is actively involved in the leadership of the Mississippi Bar Association in varying capacities, including past tenure on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors and founding chairman of the Mississippi Bar’s Child Welfare and Child Advocacy Committee. Prior to that, Carlyn was selected to participate in the Mississippi Bar’s 2016 Leadership Forum. Additionally, Carlyn is a member of the Parent Representation Task Force, where she works with statewide and national stakeholders to enhance and expand parent representation across the state. Carlyn is called upon regionally and nationwide to present on topics related to quality family representation and policy reform in child welfare. In 2015, Carlyn was honored with the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division National Child Advocacy Award for her many contributions to the improvement of the lives of children.
When she’s not representing clients or training the next wave of law students in family defense, Carlyn is still serving and making an impact. Carlyn was recently honored by the Jackson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (now Visit Jackson, MS!) as a 2016 Hometown Hero for her work and contributions to the local food service economy with the creation of the Jackson Foodies, a grassroots group of nearly 6000 individuals who support Jackson Restaurants. Carlyn recently utilized the relationships fostered with the restaurant industry to partner with several noteworthy chefs, restauranteurs, and citizens to offer a four-star fine dining Pop-Up Restaurant experience for the homeless. Recently, Carlyn was recognized as a Young Professional on the Rise for her professional and community contributions.
Hicks is a Business Administration Major in JSU's WEB Dubois Honors College and was initiated into the Gamma Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, where she served in local, regional, and international capacities.