Dayton LLI Students Make Being Smart Cool Again
By Donta Johnson, 3L
University of Cincinnati College of Law
For five full weeks, twenty-six Dayton-area rising ninth graders embarked on a journey they will never forget. While their friends were at home playing video games, going to basketball camp and doing typical teenage things, these students, dressed to impress and eager to learn, participated in the Law and Leadership Institute (LLI) at the University of Dayton College of Law. Their mission was to make being smart "cool" again, and their mission was accomplished.
Program director and University of Dayton Professor of Law Dennis Greene, law student teachers Chris Johnson and Caitlyn Schultz, and Dayton area high school teacher Elton Griffith led LLI's Dayton team. The program featured a rigorous curriculum centered around criminal law doctrines and activities designed to foster confidence and leadership. The students had the privilege of studying concepts most students are not exposed to until law school.
Johnson, a third year law student, chose to use his final summer of law school to teach in the program. For him, being a part of LLI was very important.
"I viewed this as an awesome opportunity to give back to my community. Being from Dayton, I wanted to be a lawyer growing up, and I wish a program like this existed back then," he said.
Dayton's LLI team challenged each student to reevaluate their thinking, goals, and interpretation of what was "cool." In today's world, the people who are most often labeled cool are typically star athletes and big time entertainers; these are the people most teenagers aspire to be like. One of the program's main challenges was to broaden their horizons.
Every morning, LLI students had the pleasure of listening to guest speakers from the legal field tell their stories. Two guest speakers with whom the students fell in love were Dwight Washington and University of Dayton law Professor Vernellia Randall. Washington is a Dayton-area attorney who represented Ohio State football legend and former NFL player Eddie George. The students were captivated by Washington's life story. Professor Randall's story was particularly inspiring for the students because of the adversities she faced and overcame to get to her position in life. All of the guest speakers were people with whom the students could relate in some form; they were a great way to kick off each day.
Before the speakers arrived, the students had to complete writing assignments using a formula for legal reasoning (apply the law to the facts to reach a conclusion). Through this exercise and several others, the students' writing skills improved drastically over the five-week span.
The students also explored various issues during their five weeks. They were particularly interested in the famous cases involving Michael Vick, the National Football League player convicted on dog fighting charges and Chris Brown, the singer accused of domestic violence against then-girlfriend, music sensation Rihanna. In preparation for their mock trial, which capped the LLI Summer Institute experience, each student had to audition for the role of attorney and perform an original opening statement either defending Chris Brown or prosecuting him, before their entire class. The students found this to be a great learning experience in addition to being a lot of fun.
Each week, the students left the campus for LLI-sponsored field trips. The field trips they enjoyed most were their trips to the courts. These trips helped the students to understand the legal system, and allowed them to see how some of the doctrines they had been studying played out in real life. They visited Judge James Brogan, Judge Jeffrey Froelich, and Judge Mike Fain in the Second District Court of Appeals and had the opportunity to pick the judges' brains and observe an oral argument. They also visited Judge A.J. Wagner in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, where they had the opportunity to witness a suppression hearing.
At the end of the Summer Institute, the students' families, teachers and friends were invited to attend their mock trial competition. Student-teacher Johnson was most impressed by how well her students had prepared and their oral arguments. The mock trial gave the students the opportunity to showcase what they had been working toward all summer. It was a proud day for everyone involved.
The summer program concluded with a day of fun at Dave & Buster's. For a class with a mission to make learning cool, it was truly a mission accomplished.
Students Find Their Public Speaking Voices in Institute Debate Program
By Ashley Lykins, 3L
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
This year, tenth-grade students in Columbus and Cleveland will have the opportunity to sharpen their reasoning and verbal skills through appellate-style oral arguments.
The arguments, which will be part of the Law and Leadership Institute's academic year program, will involve constitutional issues, such as the First and Fourth Amendments. The Institute obtained background materials for the problems from Legal Outreach, a pipeline program that has been running for 25 years in New York City.
The style of the argument will be modified to allow a student to present his or her entire statement before questions are asked.
"It's structured to have students get their argument out," said Kathy Northern, an associate dean at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and director of the university's Institute program."It helps them work on oral presentation skills. It's more about getting them comfortable with public speaking, being able to think and respond to questions on their feet, and having the experience of really prepping for debate."
Students will read a fact pattern and materials for both sides of the issue, noted Suzanne Richards, a partner at Columbus firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease and an active volunteer for the Institute. They will also present a written piece of work for their side of the issue.
"They'll be able to develop their skills on reading, comprehending, and analyzing what they're reading," said Richards. "It will be a way for them to learn how to best present their argument."
Besides gaining practical skills, students will also have the opportunity to interact with legal professionals.
"As we go through the program, we'll be interacting more with attorneys in the community in a variety of ways," said Northern, adding that local attorneys will listen to the students' arguments.
Interacting with lawyers who have different levels of experience is an important part of the program, noted Richards. Students will be able to get their advice and learn how they think about everyday legal issues.
The goal, said Northern, is for students to engage in at least three debates per year during the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Through the academic year, LLI students will meet at least two Saturdays out of the month. Occasionally, the class will meet on a third Saturday, where the focus will be on the oral argument, said Northern. Law students will work with and coach the participants on their oral arguments.
While the debate program will take place only in Columbus and Cleveland this year, Akron, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Dayton, which commenced their summer programs in June, will pick it up next year.
"All the new schools that joined [the Institute] this summer will now participate in the academic year for ninth graders," said Northern, adding that the ninth-grade students will do mock trials. "We're trying to make sure we're laying a foundation in the ninth grade for success in future years."
In addition to being educational, these experiences are enjoyable, noted Northern.
"We're relating what they're doing in terms of writing in the classroom to something that's fun," she said.
Institute Students Get Challenging, But Fun Internships at Law Firms in Columbus, Cleveland
This summer was nothing short of exciting for a group of Columbus and Cleveland tenth-grade students in the Law and Leadership Institute. Those students completed four-day internships at a group of law firms in both cities.
"I didn't have the right idea of what an intern was," said Tieren Daniels, a 15-year-old LLI student from the Cleveland program.
Daniels, who hopes to be a patent attorney, spent his internship at the Cleveland office of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff.
"I thought we'd be following them around all day, taking notes about what they were doing. It was more exciting than that," he said.
Daniels, a student at Success Tech Academy, said his days at Benesch involved quite a bit of work, but the work was fun.
"There really was never a dull moment," he said, noting that Benesch hosted two other high school students. "We were treated like we were one of them."
LaClea Stepheney, 15, said her experience at Thompson Hine in Cleveland was similar.
"We were treated as adults," she said of herself and two other interns. "It was challenging, but it was fun."
Stepheney, who aspires to become an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the high school students would get a case to work on in the morning, and they later wrote about it. At lunchtime, she added, the students ate with a group of attorneys.
"It's a very good program, said Stepheney, a student at John Marshall High School. "It teaches you leadership skills and discipline, and it prepares you for your future."
While the students worked on projects within the offices, they were able to venture into other settings as well, said Rodney Holaday, an associate at the Columbus office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, which hosted two students.
"We took them down to watch us do pro bono work in municipal court, where we represented indigent people who were being evicted," said Holaday, referring to the Pro Bono Tenants Advocacy Project, an endeavor with which Vorys is regularly involved. "So the students had the opportunity to sit in with us while we met with people."
The students also watched a criminal matter argued in federal court, Holaday added.
"They really enjoyed anything that was real-life and more hands-on," he said. "We included them in everything we could."
David Boone, 15, had the opportunity to observe a murder trial during his time at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland.
"We got to see how interesting a lawyer's job can be," said Boone, a student at MC2 Science Technology Engineering Mathematics High School, who plans to be a patent attorney.
Boone said he and the two other students at Squire Sanders also saw the inside of a judge's chambers.
"I learned a lot of interesting things about how a law firm works," he said.
In addition, Boone said the students went over mock cases and negotiated with each other while an attorney mediated.
"The students enjoyed being involved in a variety of activities," said Elizabeth Wetherby, Chief Human Resources Officer at the Columbus office of Brickler & Eckler, which hosted two rising tenth-graders this summer.
Besides their projects, the students at Bricker visited the State House and went to lunch with attorneys.
"We thus plan to ensure our future schedule involves a greater variety of out of office prospects to give our guests a broader perspective," said Wetherby.
Like the students, who plan to continue participating in the Institute throughout high school, the attorneys who became involved in the LLI Summer Institute believe the program plays an important role.
"We believe it is critically important to provide mentoring opportunities to students who have an interest in a career in law in order to help them hone their interest, recognize their potential and, early in their academic cycle, to get on a path that will help them achieve their career goals," said Wetherby, who noted that Bricker is thinking of expanding its participation to its Cincinnati-Dayton office next summer. "The Supreme Court Law and Leadership Institute is one program among several [in which] the firm participates in support of this objective."
Additionally, the opportunity to interact and explain what lawyers do is always enjoyable, said Holaday.
"We have an obligation to the public to represent our trade, our profession, in a positive light," said Holaday, who plans to participate in the program next summer. "This is a great outlet for that."
Paul L. Williams: A Change Agent for Diversity in Legal Profession
By Jessica Clarke
Law Clerk for The Honorable Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Justice Maureen O'Connor: A Public Servant Shares Her Experiences with Institute Students
By Rebecca Owen
Law Clerk, The Honorable Justice Maureen O'Connor
Summer Excitement at Akron Institute Continues into School Year
By Courtney Cunningham, 2L
