On November 30 and December 1, the King County Bar Foundation Future of the Law Institute (FLI) introduced its sixth group of high school students to the profession of law.
More than 75 students from 21 different schools participated in a busy two days of workshops, career panels, mentoring and conversations with 77 volunteers from the bar, bench and law schools. In one participant’s words, “I learned that pursuing a law career is not out of reach for anybody and that [by] working hard, while facing adversity, I can achieve great accomplishments.”
Since 2002, FLI has provided resources and inspiration to students historically underrepresented in the legal profession. During this time, FLI has been recognized as a model “pipeline” program to increase diversity in the law, receiving the ABA Partnership Award, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association Diversity Dollars Award, the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Fellowship Award, and the Asian Bar Association of Washington’s Program of the Year Award.
On November 30, participants were welcomed to the Seattle University School of Law by Dean Kellye Testy. Professor Lori Bannai led a spirited exercise on the First Amendment, with students arguing a case based on a recent Supreme Court ruling. A panel of attorneys from a variety of practice areas then took student questions, offering a candid look at the life of a legal professional.
Later, at the King County Courthouse, students were welcomed by King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and Deputy Chief of Staff Bonnie Glenn. Presiding Judge Michael Trickey, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones and Superior Court Judges Mary Yu and Steven Gonzalez answered questions about their paths to the bench. The day concluded with students observing sentencing proceedings and talking with presiding judges.
On December 1, students and many of their parents arrived at the University of Washington School of Law to a welcome from Interim Dean Greg Hicks. The morning offered workshops covering employment discrimination, Internet and IP law, and racial profiling, led by volunteers from the bench, law firms, in-house counsel and academia.
At noon, students met with their FLI mentors over lunch to talk about their goals and to learn how these law students, attorneys and judges pursued their careers. While the students were at lunch, 35 parents and guardians participated in a Planning for Higher Education Workshop with presentations from the University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs, Seattle University School of Law and the Northwest Education Loan Association. The program wrapped up with a mock trial, with students and professional attorneys from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Associated Counsel for the Accused co-presenting the case to Judge Veronica Alicea-Galvan.
As you can see, FLI relies on the contribution of time and resources from our legal community to provide this unique opportunity each year. To see more pictures from this year’s event and learn more about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities with FLI, visit www.futureofthelaw.org.
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Sandy Brown is president of the Future of the Law Institute board and a senior attorney at Microsoft Corporation.
