Lauren Nonnemaker

Personal Introduction

Lauren has commitment to and extensive experience with family law issues, with a focus on child welfare. She began her career as a paralegal at a private family law firm while earning her B.A. in Criminal Justice from DeSales University. Upon graduation, Lauren joined the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network Legal Services Initiative where she received specialized training in juvenile dependency which inspired her to pursue a legal career in child welfare. Lauren attended Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law, 2-year accelerated JD program, as a Rising Advocate Merit Scholar where she earned two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards and served as a Dean’s Scholar before graduating in 2017. Lauren then returned to the world of juvenile dependency, joining the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender Child Advocate Unit where she served as guardian ad litem and legal counsel to hundreds of abused, neglected, and ungovernable children. Lauren then joined CHILD USA, the premier children’s rights think tank based in Philadelphia. There, she reviewed legislation, crafted policies, provided judicial training, and drafted written testimony on children’s rights issues at the state and federal level. Lauren then entered into private practice where she continues to focus on children’s issues including custody, adoption, and protection from abuse. She is also an adjunct professor at Villanova University’s Paralegal Professional Program, and a staff attorney at CHILD USAdvocacy, submitting testimony and pushing for common-sense reform of child welfare legislation. Lauren previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Children’s Rights Committee and Legislative Sub-Committee and was also actively involved with the Education Law Committee of the Montgomery County Bar Association in her then capacity as Vice-Chair.