Dates:
The three week program is scheduled for June 10 - 28, 2019.
Location:
Louisiana State Bar Association, 601 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA
Eligibility:
Students should have an interest in pursuing a legal career and should be entering the 11th or 12th Grade in the Fall of 2019 or entering their first year of college in the Fall of 2019.
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Program Details:
The three week program will be held at the Louisiana Bar Center, 601 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, and is scheduled on June 10 - June 28, 2019. Students who complete the program will be eligible for a stipend of up to $250.00. Students must provide their own transportation to the program. Students have the option of paying a residential housing fee if housing is needed (adult chaperone required).
The Louisiana State Bar Association in partnership with Just the Beginning and the Louisiana Bar Foundation hosts an annual internship program. This program is available to incoming high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates who are interested in the legal profession. Students participate in a three-week legal institute, during which they attend an abridged law school session, field trips to law schools and courts, and an internship consisting of shadowing at area law offices and courts. Students provide their own transportation and housing. Over the course of the three-week program, students will be introduced to lawyers, legal documents, and the legal system all designed to assist them in pondering one important question, “Do I really want to be a lawyer?”
For additional questions, please contact us at diversity@lsba.org.
Classroom Activities:
Inside the “Suit Up classroom,” students will experience the Socratic teaching method and gain exposure to specified law school courses, including, criminal law, and legal research and writing. Students will also receive a mock trial problem, which will serve as the basis for the legal writing assignment and oral argument that the students will present to a panel of judges at the end of the program.
In a second component of the “Suit Up classroom,” students will be provided with advice and substantive information from guest speakers, and receive instruction in creating competitive resumes, preparing for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), professionalism, ethics, and workplace etiquette and attire. The time inside the classroom will provide students with ample time to work as a group on assignments and seek feedback from various legal mentors throughout the course.
Attorney Shadowing:
A second facet of the course will allow Suit Up participants to step outside the classroom and see first-hand what it means to be a “lawyer.” The attorney shadowing is designed to provide students with the following experiences:
• a tour of the law firm/agency, in a tour of the law firm/agency, including all departments, so that students gain an understanding of all of the support staff that comprise a law firm/agency;
• the opportunity to join the attorney on outings (such as depositions, hearings, and trials);
• lunch with the attorney; and
• mentoring and support on the oral argument and supporting legal memorandum being developed by the student.
Students will also prepare a list of questions to ask attorneys whom they shadow so that the student gains an appreciation of the day-to-day schedule of an attorney, as well as the role that lawyers play in society and in the administration of justice. *Students must have transportation to and from the shadowing assignment.
Field Trips:
Finally, the Suit Up students will attend several field trips. The students will tour two area law schools, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Court museum, and federal court buildings. During the tours, students will hear from several guest speakers and may have the opportunity to view proceedings at several state and federal courts.