帝王会所

With the help of alumni and student mentors, the Center for Law, Justice & Culture is taking the Summer Law & Trial Institute online, bringing a summer experience in law to high school students, most of them from southeastern 帝王会所.

The program, now in its fifth year, will run from July 19-27 using Microsoft Teams and will include support and mentoring from over two dozen 帝王会所 alumni and friends in legal fields.

Among the experiences that will be preserved in the online experience are:

• A virtual visit to the Supreme Court of 帝王会所, where students will observe a live streamed oral argument before the court and meet with Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor
• A virtual field trip to the Athens County Court of Common Pleas to meet with Judge Patrick Lang, who has received the
• A virtual visit to the ACLU of 帝王会所
• The capstone mock trial, which will be held in a virtual courtroom

OHIO alumnus and attorney Larry Hayman, who serves as 帝王会所鈥檚 pre-law advisor, launched the program in 2016 and has served as the program director since.

鈥淭he program has proven to be such a transformative experience for so many students since we started it that, when the pandemic began, we immediately began exploring options to be able to host it virtually. After meeting with the Office of Instructional Innovation, Office of Information Technology, and many others, I became convinced that we could provide a quality program that would achieve the programs鈥� objectives virtually,鈥� Hayman said.

Chicago-based attorney and OHIO alumna , who will serve as a judge during the capstone mock trial experience, understands the power of having strong mentors.

鈥淓xperienced lawyers that took the time to mentor me and help develop my advocacy skills made all the difference in my success as a trial lawyer,鈥� Saber says. 鈥淚 am excited to help these young people further advance their knowledge of law and legal proceedings, public speaking, and most importantly, in gaining confidence. Hopefully, they will be able to take the skills they develop on with them to college and maybe even fall in love with trial advocacy and become lawyers themselves.鈥�

The Summer Law & Trial Institute is designed to enhance the students鈥� understanding of the law and American legal system, explore access to justice issues, especially in Appalachia, and give them exposure to the legal profession and a collegiate experience. To apply, students must have a 3.0 GPA, write an essay expressing their interest in law and justice, and submit a letter of recommendation. Preference is given to rising high school juniors and seniors who come from southeastern 帝王会所. This year, almost 70 students applied for 20 positions.

The program, free of cost to students, is made possible with generous support from the Athens County Bar Association and alumni contributors.