DBMA BARRISTER'S SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM VOLUNTEER SOLICITATION
DMBA Announcement:
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The Barristers Board of Directors for the Detroit Metropolitan Bar
Association are seeking volunteers for its School Partnership Program
(the "Program"). The goal of the Program is to provide mentorship to
high school students, improve high school students' understanding of the
law and encourage high school students to pursue careers in the law.
Attorneys help accomplish this goal by assisting high school students
with five programs related to different areas of the law. This is the
third year of the Program. Denby Technical & Preparatory High School,
in Detroit, has been our school partner since the Program's inception.
This year, high school students from Denby, and our new school partner,
Cass Tech High School, will participate in the Program.
The Program encompasses five programs: Essay Contest, Career Day, Law
Day, Internship Program and Scholarship Program. Below is a description
for each program for which we are seeking attorney participation with
information on how attorneys can participate in each program:
1. Essay Contest: Eleventh and twelfth grade students will write essays
on a legal matter currently being addressed by the courts. Attorneys participating in the Essay Contest will meet with students at Denby
and/or Cass in March 2008 to help them write a clear, concise and
persuasive legal argument.
2 Career Day: With the assistance of Wayne State University Law School
students, Denby and Cass students will conduct a mock trial playing the
roles of bailiff, plaintiff's counsel/prosecutor, defense counsel, judge and jury. Attorneys participating in Career Day will field questions
from the students' about their pursuit of a career in law and their area
of practice over lunch. Career Day will take place at Wayne State
University Law School on January 24, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.,
and February 25, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Attorneys are
welcome to attend the entire event, however, you are only needed from
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for Career Day.
3. Law Day: Law Day is held once every year across the country. Our Law
Day program is designed to teach the students about the appellate court
process. Attorneys participating in Law Day will help the students
prepare a mock oral argument to be argued before the United States
Supreme Court. Law Day will take place at Denby on April 30, 2008, from
9:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and at Cass on April 30, 2008, from 10:00 a.m.
to 12:00 p.m. (note: the official date of the ABA Law Day is May 1st).
4. Internship Program: One student from Denby and one student from Cass
will be selected to work as an intern at the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association office in Summer 2008. To prepare the students for their
interviews with the DMBA staff, attorneys will teach students the skills
needed for a successful interview and conduct mock interviews of the
students. This program will require attorneys to visit Denby on April
22, 2008, from 9:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and/or Cass on April 23, 2008,
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. In addition, to properly expose the
students to the legal community and make this program a success, we need
attorneys to allow students to accompany them at work, court and other
legal activities during the summer so the students can obtain first-hand
knowledge of the various activities attorneys perform on a day-to-day
basis.
If you are interested in participating in the School Partnership
Program, please contact Eric M. Mathis, School Partnership Program
Chair, (313) 225-7041 or MATHISE@butzel.com, and indicate which program
interests you.
