She began her legal career as a trial lawyer and juvenile appellate/training specialist for the Los Angeles County Public Defender, and as an appellate lawyer for the California State Public Defender. She joined the Youth Law Center in 1987, and since that time has worked to stem abuses in the juvenile system, and shift public policy toward services designed to produce better outcomes for young people. She has worked in California and around the country – serving as counsel in civil rights litigation and appellate cases; presenting at conferences and workshops; drafting and testifying on legislation; and writing and consulting on a wide range of juvenile justice issues. For more than a decade, Sue has worked with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative to reduce unnecessary incarceration of youth, and to assure that youth who are detained are held in safe, humane conditions.