On March 12, 2024 Amanda was invited to speak as a guest lecturer for Professor and Attorney Annette Smith’s class on children and the Law at the University of Oregon School of Law.  Amanda presented alongside troubled teen industry survivors and advocates Kayla Muzquiz, Chelsea Maldonado and Caroline Cole.  The speakers covered topics including the importance of lived experience advocacy, legal issues in the troubled teen industry and challenges with placements in abusive residential facilities within the child welfare system. 

Amanda Simmons, lead attorney and founder of Ambika Law, in collaboration with Oregon public defender Annette Smith and Atlanta-based investigative reporter Chelsea Maldonado, hosted an interactive virtual training session for CASA of Lane County volunteers. The virtual training session, Protecting Children From The Troubled Teen Industry: A Training for Child Advocates, provided CASA of Lane County volunteers with a robust overview of the “troubled teen industry” and its intersection with Oregon’s child welfare system.

Amanda Simmons, lead attorney and founder of Ambika Law, presented at the 46th National Child Welfare Law Conference hosted by the National Association of Counsel for Children alongside child welfare attorney, Dawn J. Post, and 11:11 Media Impact advocate Chelsea Maldonado.