Marsha Levick is the co-founder of Juvenile Law Center, America’s first public interest law firm for children. Marsha served as Juvenile Law Center’s Chief Legal Officer until stepping away in 2025, Juvenile Law Center’s fiftieth anniversary. Throughout her career, Marsha has advocated for youth involved in the justice and family regulation/child welfare systems, spearheading or participating in landmark litigation nationwide to advance children’s legal rights and well-being. Marsha has participated in numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, Miller v. Alabama, and Montgomery v. Louisiana, all cases banning extreme adult sentences for youth in the criminal justice system, and J.D.B. v North Carolina, requiring consideration of a suspect’s youth during police interrogations. Marsha also led Juvenile Law Center’s litigation arising out of Pennsylvania’s infamous “Kids for Cash” scandal, resulting in the vacatur and expungement of nearly 2500 juvenile adjudications and substantial financial awards to the youth and their parents.
Marsha has received numerous awards for her work, including the Philadelphia Award (2015), the Arlen Specter Award (Inaugural Winner 2013), the Philadelphia Inquirer Citizen of the Year Award (2009 – co-winner), The Philadelphia Citizen’s Social Justice Activist of the Year Award (2025) as well as recognition for her work from the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Association, among others. In addition to serving as the Phyllis Beck Chair at Temple University Beasley School of Law (Spring 2026), Marsha is also an adjunct law Professor at Penn Carey Law School and Columbia Law School.