By Brandie Silva

The Future of the Law Institute (FLI), an affiliate of the King County Bar Association and King County Bar Foundation, received the 2004 American Bar Association’s (ABA) Partnership Award on August 6.

The ABA award recognizes exemplary efforts of bar associations to increase diversity in the legal profession. FLI was selected based on the degree to which the program fulfills the goal of increasing diversity in the legal profession, with preference given to those programs that involved “doing” rather than “telling”; evidence of partnerships formed with other organizations to attain the program objective; and the degree to which the program can be replicated by other organizations.

FLI is featured among the other award recipients in the ABA’s “Guide to Bar Association Diversity Initiatives” since a major objective of the ABA Partnership Awards Program is to share the good ideas and experiences of bar associations.

Members of the practicing bar, the sitting bench, corporate legal counsel, both law schools and KCBF are actively preparing for the 2004 FLI conference on November 19 and 20 at the University of Washington and Seattle University Law Schools and King County Courthouse. This year the group plans to recruit 70 students from 12 area high schools as well as the Tulalip and Suquamish Tribes.

Students begin their first day of the Institute at Seattle University School of Law where they participate in classes on the role of law in society and legal career opportunities. At noon the students will assemble at King County Superior Court, where they will have lunch with sitting judges followed by an opportunity to witness court sentencing proceedings. Prior to the court proceedings, students will be briefed on the case to be presented and will participate in a discussion on punishment versus rehabilitation.

Students will start their second day at the University of Washington School of Law, where they will debate thought-provoking issues in workshops facilitated by volunteer attorneys and law school students. Next, the students will attend a panel discussion of attorneys and judges who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve their dreams of a career in law. During lunch, students will meet with lawyers and judges who have agreed to serve as mentors for enrolled students.

FLI’s Mentor Program matches up FLI graduates with local lawyers who provide guidance as the students pursue higher education and law related careers. FLI’s mentor pool is growing as news of FLI is now spreading. Currently, the mentors consist of prior recipients of King County Bar Foundation’s minority law student scholarships and King County lawyers and state judges. In the aftenoon, students will actively participate as jurors in a mock trial. A reception finale concludes the Institute where students have another opportunity to mingle with judges, attorneys, and law students.

Students are also offered a scholarship incentive if they complete the two day program. They are eligible for a $250 scholarship if they enroll in a baccalaureate program and a $500 scholarship if they later enroll in law school. The modest scholarship amounts reflect FLI’s fledgling budget.