Vivek S. Sankaran is a clinical assistant professor of law in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic and director of the new Detroit Center for Family Advocacy. Professor Sankaran's research and policy interests center on improving outcomes for children in child abuse and neglect cases by empowering parents and strengthening due process protections in the child welfare system. Professor Sankaran sits on the Steering Committee of the ABA National Project to Improve Representation for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System and chairs the Michigan Court Improvement Project subcommittee on parent representation. He has also authored scholarly pieces and practical resource guides to assist professionals working with parents in the system and regularly conducts national and statewide training on these issues. Professor Sankaran earned his B.A. magna cum laude from the College of William and Mary. He earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was an associate editor on the Michigan Law Review. After law school, he joined The Children's Law Center (CLC) as a Skadden Fellow and became a permanent staff attorney with the CLC in September 2003. Professor Sankaran was named the 2004 Michigan Law School Public Interest Alumni of the Year and in 2006, was certified as a child welfare specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children. In 2008, he was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to represent Melanie Morgan, In re Hudson-Morgan, and in 2009, he was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to represent Billy Joe Hansen, In re Hansen. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Foundation and is serving a three-year term with the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.