Phase 1: Idea + Personal Insights

After showing his Social Entrepreneurship class an introductory video, Coach expanded on its ideas to give the class a nuanced understanding of the problem. He explained the lack of judicial accountability in family law, citing careless selection of judges that preside over custody cases as well as a disconnect from the children involved in these cases. In particular, he believes that judges presiding over these cases should have experience in childcare and should be required to meet the children whose lives they will be drastically impacting. Coach went on to clarify his background and connection to the project: he is an attorney, judicial misconduct publisher, and a parent. His kids have personally been affected by the judicial system: they were banished from their home state of Illinois.

Phase 2: Research + Development

Next, Coach asked his class for questions he could use to research and develop the idea further. He agreed with the need to define the scope of the problem and plan beginning steps, as well as more actionable items such as creating a survey on how judges currently assign cases and interviewing children affected by these cases.

Phase 3: Speaker Introduction

The next week of class, Coach introduced guest speaker Christopher Bedell— his former employee and law school classmate and current friend and colleague. Bedell is a child of divorce himself, involved in Missouri state politics, and an attorney at an Am Law 100 firm.

Phase 4: Interview w/ Christopher Bedell

Christopher provided some key insights for the project, including:

– Accountability is a bi-partisan issue
– Make sure to not use any personal attacks against the judges in any communications or publications
– Consider the biases of potential leaders of the organization
– A donation model may be slow to start, but could work long term

Phase 5: Defining the Problem

After the interview, Coach synthesized the information from previous class sessions as well as the interview to clearly lay out the problem and the proposed solution. The problem: a lack of judicial accountability in child custody cases— judges never have to face the consequences of their custody decisions. The solution: Children of the Court, an initiative that allows children to go back to the court and judge in which their custody was decided such that judges can understand how their decisions affect young lives. 

Phase 6: Details + Design

During the next class session, Coach prompted his students to vote on a logo for the project— either multi-colored or more monochromatic— and the monochrome logo won! He addressed other results of the survey as well, noting that students nearly unanimously agreed that parenting experience should be required for judges who preside over custody cases while around two-thirds of the class agreed that children should have the option to go back and visit the court where their custody case was heard.

Phase 7: Legal Complications

Later in the same class session, Coach let his students in on a real-time dilemma he was facing. A company he had founded was facing legal complications and backlash— he could choose to either kill it or save the company and use it to fund Children of the Court. The class’ input ultimately led Coach to save the company.

Phase 8: Finale

Coach ended the discussion and development of Children of the Court in his Social Entrepreneurship class by discussing the quote: “I want a peaceful soul, I need a bigger gun.” To him, this means that his motivation in life is putting himself to use towards something good— Children of the Court is his bigger gun.