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Foci

• Adoption and Foster Care
• Child Abuse and Neglect
• Abuse in Religious and Institutional Settings
• Juvenile Justice
• Child Rights
• Child Trafficking
• Child Labor
• Pediatric Bioethics
• Reproductive Bioethics, including Surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technology
• Education
• Immigration
• Child Custody and Family Law
• Religion and Children’s Issues

Persons or organizations seeking assistance or interested in partnering with or assisting the center can contact Director David Smolin, at dmsmolin@samford.edu.

The work of the center is led by Director David M. Smolin, Harwell G. Davis professor of constitutional law at Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Cumberland School of Law. Smolin teaches in the areas of constitutional law, children and the law, criminal law and procedure, bioethics and law, international human rights, children’s rights, and law and religion.

Smolin has taught as an adjunct or visiting professor at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Alabama Law School, Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Beeson Divinity School, Regent Â鶹ÊÓƵ Law School, Handong International School of Law (South Korea) and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health.

Smolin has published extensively in the areas of adoption, surrogacy, child labor, children’s rights, human trafficking, constitutional law, bioethics and law, and law and religion. Most of his work is available online, with more than 100,000 full text downloads. He served as an independent expert on intercountry adoption for the Hague Conference on Private International Law and as an independent expert on surrogacy, adoption, and children’s rights for International Social Service (ISS). He was a member of the core expert group that drafted Principles for the Protection of the Rights of the Child in the Context of Surrogacy (Verona Principles). He is a special advisor for a Swiss child rights NGO, Child Identity Protection (CHIP).

Smolin has presented at numerous domestic and international events.

International presentations include:

• Korean Women’s Development Institute in Seoul, South Korea
• Second International Symposium on Korean Adoption Studies in Seoul, South Korea
• Hague Special Commission on the Practical Operation of the Hague Adoption Convention (2010 and 2015)
• State Supreme Court of Sao Paulo, Brazil
• International Adoption Summit in Stratford, Canada
• Federal-Provincial/Territory Conference on Intercountry Adoption in Ottawa, Canada
• NALSAR Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Law, in Andhra Pradesh, India
• Plenary Assembly, Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Leiden (Netherlands)
• Committee on the Rights of the Child (Geneva, Switzerland)
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Verona, Department of Law
• Brocher Foundation (Switzerland)
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Zurich, Department of Law
• International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands

Domestic presentations include:

• Adoption Initiative Conference at St. John’s Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• Joint Council on International Children’s Services Annual Child Welfare Symposium
• Friends of Children of China, New York
• ASAC Conference at the Claremont Colleges
• New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children Annual Foster Care and Adoption Conference
• Cedarville Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• Emory Law School
• Harvard Law School
• Regent Law School
• St. Thomas Law School
• Stanford Law School
• Whittier Law School
• Washington and Lee Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Law
• Hamline Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Law
• Birmingham Study Forum, Sponsored by Vanderbilt Divinity School, 16^th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Alabama Law School
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of California, Irvine sponsored event at Laguna Beach, California
• Michigan State Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• Villanova Law School
• Loyola Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Law
• Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
• Christian Legal Society Annual Conference
• Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture (ASAC) Conference
• Healthcare Ethics and Law Conference, Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• American Association of Law Schools (AALS) National Conference

Smolin frequently serves as a background source for media, has been quoted on adoption issues for the New York Times, and has written on adoption as an invited expert for the Room for Debate New York Times opinion blog. Together  with his wife, Desiree Smolin, he works on children’s issues and analysis and reform of adoption systems and practices. In addition, he has been interviewed on adoption or children’s issues for China Radio Today (China Radio International), Danish Public Radio, Radio Netherlands, UNICEF’s “Beyond School Books” podcast series, and National Public Radio (Morning Edition and The Takeaway).

• Who Should Apply: Admitted incoming first-year students are encouraged to apply to the Center for Children, Law and Ethics Scholars program.
• How to Apply: Applicants should submit a letter of interest detailing their motivation and experience related to any aspect of children’s issues, along with a resume, by email to dmsmolin@samford.edu. Applications close June 1.
• Selection Process: The Center for Children, Law and Ethics is looking to select one to two admitted incoming first-year students to join the Scholars program. The selected student(s) is expected to be self-initiating, self-regulating, and self-motivated. Selections will be determined by July 1. Students may become involved in the center even if they are not selected to join the Scholars program.
• Scholarship Award: Student(s) selected to join the Scholars program will be awarded $750 during their first year in the center. There is opportunity for the scholarship to increase during the student’s second and third year in the program based on involvement and leadership in the center.

More than 25 students have been active in the center during the 2025-26 school year.  The 2025-26 center positions include:

Some students become active in the Center through the incoming student Scholars Program, while others join later in law school, primarily through the annual spring application process.