Court is Back in Session: Palm Beach County Youth Court Gives Students A Role in Second Chances
By Natalie I. Lanz, Justin L. Virzi and Carter J. Lewis
Palm Beach County Youth Court offers something to students a textbook cannot: the opportunity to stand up, make an argument and help reach a decision that matters to someone else. High school students from throughout the County learn to balance persuasive advocacy with fairness, preparation with adaptability, and confidence with respect for the peers before them.
On Sept. 24, 2026, a group of 65 high school students gathered in the Palm Beach Lakes High School media center to train as prosecutors, defense attorneys, deputies and jurors for Palm Beach County Youth Court. Soon thereafter, they would put those lessons to work at the Gun Club Courthouse, where Youth Court sessions take place on the first Thursday of each month during the school year. There they would help decide what accountability should look like for another young person.
Youth Court has served Palm Beach County since 1995, but the pandemic interrupted its longstanding tradition of bringing students together in the courtroom. The pause put more than hearings on hold. It interrupted an opportunity for young people to learn about the justice system by participating in it and for the legal community to mentor them along the way.
Bringing the program back has meant reconnecting with local high schools, recruiting volunteers and preparing a new group of student advocates. The September turnout marked an encouraging new chapter: students ready to take their places behind counsel table and in the jury box.
The renewed effort brings together the 15th Judicial Circuit, the School District of Palm Beach County Police Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, participating high schools from throughout the County and the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. Their shared goal is to give young people a meaningful second chance and give student volunteers a firsthand understanding of the justice system.
A jury of their peers, quite literally
Youth Court gives the phrase “a jury of your peers” a particularly fitting meaning. Students serve as prosecutors, defense attorneys, deputies and jurors. Volunteer attorneys preside as judges and guide the students.
The proceedings focus on a question that is both practical and challenging: What should a young person do to take responsibility and move forward?
The student defendants, referred through the Juvenile First Offender Program, a pretrial diversion program, have already admitted responsibility for their conduct. The hearing therefore focuses on appropriate sanctions, not guilt. Student advocates question the student defendant, present arguments and recommend consequences. The student jury then deliberates and determines the sanctions.
For eligible first-time offenders referred through the program, successfully completing the sanctions means the case is not forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office, allowing the young person to avoid an official delinquency record for the offense.
For the students running the courtroom, the responsibility is real, too. They must listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions and weigh another student’s circumstances before making a decision. Public speaking is only part of the lesson.
Accountability with a path forward
School Police created Palm Beach County Youth Court in 1995 after observing an increase in adolescents entering the juvenile justice system. Its guiding philosophy, “compassionate accountability,” pairs consequences with an opportunity to learn from a mistake.
Circuit Judge Samantha Feuer and Jean Marie Middleton, General Counsel for the School District of Palm Beach County, have led the effort to reinvigorate the program following the pandemic interruption, bringing the legal community, educators and law enforcement together to support its return. Middleton, who has been involved with Youth Court for more than 20 years, brings a longstanding commitment to the program and the young people it serves.
“Having participated in Youth Court both as a prosecutor and a judge, I am proud of the reinvigoration of our Youth Court program, which is a voluntary, peer-driven diversion program that allows first-time juvenile offenders a second chance through accountability, rehabilitation, and personal growth. With mentorship from young lawyers, high school students serve as attorneys and jurors, gaining legal knowledge, public speaking skills, and community service hours. Attorney volunteers give back and obtain pro bono hours teaching students trial practice. The program benefits defendants, students, young lawyers, and the community as a whole. It is a win, win, win all around.” – Judge Samantha Feuer
The Young Lawyers Section’s formal involvement adds another connection between the courtroom and the community. For young attorneys, the program offers a chance to share the skills they use every day while helping students find their own voices.
The collaboration also gives students an opportunity to work alongside law enforcement officers in an educational setting, building relationships through a shared task.
From the media center to the courtroom
The September training introduced the next group of students who will take on Youth Court’s courtroom roles.
Students learned courtroom procedure, the responsibilities of prosecution and defense counsel, and how to deliver opening statements, question witnesses and make closing arguments. They also observed a Youth Court session, seeing those lessons put into practice. In a full-circle moment, attorney mentors who had participated in Youth Court as students shared their experiences, returning as lawyers to guide the next generation of student advocates.
“For more than twenty-five years, Youth Court has been one of the great privileges of my professional life. Since 1998 I have served as a volunteer judge, attorney advisor, and mentor, and in that time I have watched middle and high school students step into the roles of attorney, clerk, deputy, and juror. They arrive nervous and leave composed. The maturity and command of the law they bring to that courtroom is something our profession should take note of.” – Jean Marie Middleton.
A student attorney must consider how to advocate effectively. A juror must weigh accountability alongside the opportunity for a fresh start. A deputy must help keep the courtroom orderly. Each role asks students to take the process and one another seriously.
“Serving as a student attorney in Youth Court in 2010–11 was one of the best experiences of my high school years and helped confirm that I wanted to become a trial attorney. Its student-driven approach gives high school students meaningful responsibility, and the ability to make an impact in their community. Returning as an attorney mentor is especially rewarding because I know firsthand the impact this program can have.” – Carter Lewis Jr.
A place for the legal community
Attorneys do not have to wait for a future law school graduation to help these students develop their courtroom skills. Youth Court offers the chance to mentor them now. Volunteer attorneys work alongside the student teams, helping them prepare questions, sharpen their arguments and think through the sanctions they will recommend.
Hearings run from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Gun Club Courthouse, Courtroom 2, 3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach. The remaining sessions this school year are Jan. 7, Feb. 4, March 4, April 1 and May 6, 2027.
Volunteer attorneys may also qualify for pro bono CLE credit under Rule 6-10.3(h) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. Credit is awarded at one General CLE hour for each hour of qualifying service, up to five (5) hours per three (3) year reporting cycle. Attorneys request the credit individually through The Florida Bar.
For the young people appearing before Youth Court, the program offers a chance to take responsibility and move forward. For the students behind counsel table and in the jury box, it offers a chance to discover what they can do.
For Palm Beach County’s legal community, it is an invitation to help shape both.
Attorneys interested in volunteering may contact Justin L. Virzi at [email protected].
Natalie I. Lanz is an attorney with Searcy Law in West Palm Beach. Justin L. Virzi and Carter J. Lewis are attorneys with Kubicki Draper in West Palm Beach.