Legal Youth Brief is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and professional environment for all volunteers, including volunteers under the age of 18.
Because Legal Youth Brief is a remote, student-run publication, this policy establishes expectations for communication, supervision, privacy, and appropriate conduct.
1. Scope
This policy applies to Legal Youth Brief organizers, editors, volunteers, contributors, and other individuals participating in the publication’s activities.
The policy applies to communication conducted on behalf of Legal Youth Brief, including email, shared documents, video meetings, and other platforms officially used by the publication.
2. Communication
Legal Youth Brief-related communication should take place through designated professional channels.
Volunteers should not be required to communicate with organizers through personal social media accounts, private messaging accounts, or personal phone numbers.
Volunteers should not be asked to provide unnecessary sensitive personal information.
Organizers should not request photographs, intimate information, passwords, financial information, or other unnecessary personal information from volunteers.
3. Appropriate Conduct
All participants are expected to treat one another respectfully.
The following conduct is prohibited:
- Harassment or bullying
- Sexual or romantic conduct involving a minor
- Sexual comments, jokes, or requests
- Requests for inappropriate photographs or personal information
- Threatening or intimidating behavior
- Discriminatory or abusive conduct
- Attempts to move volunteer communications to inappropriate private channels
- Sharing a volunteer’s personal information without permission
- Retaliation against someone who reports a concern
4. Professional Boundaries
Organizers and volunteers should maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Legal Youth Brief activities should remain focused on the publication and the volunteer’s assigned responsibilities.
Organizers should not ask volunteers to meet privately in person or provide unnecessary personal information.
If an interaction becomes uncomfortable or inappropriate, volunteers may end the interaction and report the concern.
5. Meetings
Remote meetings should be conducted through designated platforms.
Meetings should have a clear purpose related to Legal Youth Brief.
When reasonably possible, meetings involving minors should take place in a group setting or through a transparent organizational communication channel rather than relying on private personal messaging.
6. Reporting Concerns
A volunteer who experiences or witnesses inappropriate conduct should report the concern to the Legal Youth Brief organizer/editor.
Reports can concern harassment, inappropriate communication, boundary violations, discrimination, or any other conduct that makes a volunteer feel unsafe.
Reports will be treated seriously and handled as confidentially as reasonably possible.
7. Retaliation
Legal Youth Brief prohibits retaliation against anyone who makes a good-faith report of a safety or conduct concern.
A volunteer will not be removed from the program simply for raising a legitimate concern.
8. Privacy
Legal Youth Brief will collect only information reasonably necessary to operate the volunteer program.
Volunteer information should not be publicly disclosed without permission.
Volunteers should not be asked to provide sensitive personal information through Reddit.
Applicants should use the official Legal Youth Brief application process rather than sending personal information through Reddit comments.
9. Parent or Guardian Involvement
Because volunteers may be minors, Legal Youth Brief encourages applicants to discuss their participation with a parent or guardian.
Where parental or guardian consent is required by an applicable platform, school, organization, or activity, the appropriate consent will be obtained before participation.
10. Removal From the Program
Legal Youth Brief may end a volunteer’s participation for serious misconduct, repeated failure to follow safety requirements, harassment, inappropriate communication, plagiarism, or other conduct that threatens the safety or integrity of the program.
11. Questions and Concerns
Questions about this policy or concerns about volunteer safety can be submitted through the official Legal Youth Brief contact page.
Legal Youth Brief reserves the right to update this policy as the program develops.