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AngelA McCorkle BuCkler TAnishA A. hiCkerson DwighT hAggArD

From Students to LawyersThe Central high school law & government Magnet program prepares students for their future

High school is usually a time for students to explore the vast possibilities available to them for their future. Then when it finally comes time for college, they have an idea of the career path they want to follow. However, there are those rare few students who already know exactly what they want to do, long before their high school graduation.

The Central High School (CHS) Magnet Career Academy offers a variety of magnet programs to students who are interested in honing in on one specific area of study. Among these programs is the Law & Government Magnet, which prepares students for a career in law and/or government through classroom activities, field trips, mock trials, debate competitions and mock legislative programs. Past students agree that one of the program’s most beneficial factors is the real-world experience obtained through trips to places like the courthouse and contact with prominent legal figures.

Since the Law & Government Magnet program was created in 1981, partnerships have been formed with both the LBA and UofL Brandeis School of Law.

The LBA coordinates summer internships for Law & Government students, and is a sponsor—along with the law school and Bellarmine University—of the Summer Law Institute.

The partnership with the UofL Brandeis School of Law has played a major part in enhancing each student’s college pre-

paredness, skills development and interest in law and government. With the implementation of such teaching methods as Street Law and the Marshall-Brennan Civil Liberties Curriculum, the Law & Government Magnet program slowly evolved into what it is today.

Since the partnership with the law school began in 2001, Law & Government students have done things such as sit in on law school classes, attend presentations given by keynote speakers and take part in moot court competitions. Law school faculty, students and various members of the legal community assist in teaching much of the CHS Law & Government curriculum. The law school also sponsors one student each summer to work at the Legal Aid Society.

Today, 26 graduates of Central High School—most of whom were involved in the Law & Government Magnet program at one time or another—have obtained Juris Doctor degrees and are now practicing attorneys, judges or lawyer-politicians.

Although the program has always had the same general purpose of preparing high school students for college and a future career in the field of law, it has certainly evolved since its inception more than 25 years ago. For a closer look at the “then and now” of the Law & Government Magnet, some past and recent graduates have shared their personal experiences with the program and how it has and is continuing to shape their legal careers:

CHS Class of 1990UofL Brandeis School of Law Class of 1998Firm: Wyatt, Tarrant & CombsPractice Area(s): Employment law and civil litigation

I have always had a strong desire to see justice and equality served. I distinctly remember an incident in grade school where I observed the discipline of a classmate who was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time (guilt by associa-tion). I decided then that everyone deserved fair representation and an opportunity to be heard—and that I wanted to be part of that process.

So, in 8th grade, when I received the letter from JCPS outlining a collection of new high school magnet programs the school system was offering in the upcoming year, I was ecstatic to learn that one of those was a Law & Government Career Magnet Program at Central High School. It was one of four new magnets being offered at CHS.

Since I knew I wanted to be an attorney, I investigated further and enthusiastically signed up to be in the first CHS Law & Government Magnet class. That was in 1986. There were seven of us who gradu-ated from that program in 1990. It was an excellent program then, and one that has continued to grow and flourish over the years.

Some elements of the program were there from birth, including the mock trial competition and the internship program. In the early days, before Westlaw and scanners, the duties of an intern included tasks such as research at the UofL and County Law Library, Shepardizing cases in the books and photocopying cases. The experience of learning your way around a library was invaluable. We also had daily contact with the courts, before the advent of PACER and CourtNet.

The work experience I gained in high school and thereafter was one of the most beneficial aspects of the program. The internship at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs and my experience in the in-house legal department of ORIX Credit Alliance, Inc., affirmed my love of the law and helped prepare me for law school and a legal career.

From the government angle of the program, we participated in the Kentucky Youth Assembly and Kentucky United Nations Assembly conventions, role-playing the process of drafting and getting leg-islation passed. The fieldtrips and guest speakers were numerous, including fieldtrips to observe sessions of the Kentucky House and Senate, tours of the jail system, observations of trials, and speeches from prominent politicians and members of the local bench and bar. For many of us, the Law & Government Magnet program af-firmed our love of the law and desire to become part of the Bar.

CHS Class of 1998UK College of Law Class of 2006Firm: Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & BoyerPractice Area(s): General civil defense litigation, including personal injury defense, premises and product liability, insurance bad faith, professional liability and long-term healthcare negligence

Like Angela, in middle school I was already thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. At first, I wanted to be an archeologist but then I thought that long, hot days in jungles and deserts was not that appealing when I had already been a horrible girl scout. I recalled thinking that I didn’t want to be a doctor because they had to go to school forever, and the thought of performing any kind of surgery made me nauseous.

Then I thought of my mother always telling me that everything is not a debate and that I did not always need to have the last word—when in fact, I definitely disagreed! So I thought to myself, “why not be a lawyer—where I could argue for a living!” Therefore, I chose to go to a high school that would help me achieve those goals. I chose CHS for its Law & Government Magnet program.

I entered into high school in 1994. Just as when the program began, CHS made fresh-men rotate through all of the magnet programs, which also consisted of medical, business and computer technology classes. At the end of freshman year, it was each student’s job to choose the class that fit him or her best. For me, the decision was easy. I was anxiously waiting for my sophomore year, when I could focus on just the Law & Government Magnet because I knew I wanted to be an attorney.

Over the next three years at CHS, we learned about the Constitution, legislation and politics; we addressed local and national news and current affairs; and we participated in mock trials in which we acted as attorneys, witnesses and jurors. I specifically recall writing the dreaded legal research paper that we all knew was to come our senior year. In its own way, it was like writing my first brief and a precursor of many legal research assignments to come!

However, the most significant experience I had as part of the Law & Government Magnet was my participation in the Summer Internship Program. I spent two summers working as a runner at the law firm formerly known as Seiller & Handmaker and one summer as a runner for the Legal Aid Society. I worked closely with various attorneys and law school students, handling everything from drafting client correspondence and preparing mediation binders to filing documents at the courthouses and pulling case law from the law library shelves. Attorneys allowed me to sit in on depositions, where they would explain to me why the person was being deposed and how the testimony related to the case. Many of these same attorneys have watched me grow into the person and attorney I am today. I even went back and clerked at Seiller & Handmaker after my first year in law school—an opportunity I credit to my time spent there as a high school summer intern.

Like so many others that came through the Law & Government Magnet, I know the classroom activities, field trips and law jobs we landed are all invaluable experiences that helped mold us into the attorneys we are now. I am glad to see CHS, the LBA and the Brandeis School of Law carry on the tradition and continue to foster our next generation of attorneys.

CHS Class of 2012Firm: Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs (intern)

Choosing Central High School’s Law & Government Magnet was an incredibly simple choice for me in middle school. I had readily planned to pursue a career in the legal field and from what I had heard from my older brother, CHS could make that dream become reality.

After the magnets at CHS expanded immensely, students no longer picked a magnet—the magnet picked them. As a freshman, I went through all 13 magnets offered at the time, as school procedure required. The basis for getting into the Law & Government Magnet was fairly simple: as long as you had a great academic and behavioral record you were guaranteed a position. It is spectacular to see how much the law magnet has grown since I became a part of it in 2009. The fact that students still have the opportunity to participate in the Kentucky Youth Assembly, Kentucky United Nations Assembly and mock trials, shows that the Law & Government Magnet grabs each and every opportunity possible and holds on to it. From the electronically savvy smart boards to the different legal classes offered, the law magnet has broad-ened its horizons to tailor the attention of the students in the program.

One program, for example, is the partnership with the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. As students progress through high school, they learn about Street Law—the approach of teaching practical law to grassroots audiences—and practice writing briefs with mentors from the law school. UofL’s Intro into Paralegal Studies is a course offered on the campus that readies seniors for college and awards them three hours of college credit upon completion of the class. Another great opportunity for law magnet students, offered through Eastern Kentucky University, is entitled Criminal Justice 101, which comes with three hours of college credit.

My interest in the legal field has increased because I now have confidence that with hard work, I can achieve my goals. I accredit my success to the Law & Government Magnet because of the numerous opportunities it has created for my peers and me. Through a partnership with the LBA, the magnet offers the Justice McAnulty Essay Contest aimed at challenging one’s reasoning and ability to write well-organized, argumentative essays. As a winner of the essay contest three years in a row, I can honestly say that the contest taught me how to justify my beliefs.

The experience I gained from interning at the prestigious law firm Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs is something I would never trade. I’ve met many attorneys and legal secretaries while working there. From studying for the ACT to packing for the Governor’s Scholars Program, I have never had a problem finding assistance. In any situation, from needing a new computer to being scared to leave home for the Governor’s Scholars Program, everyone at Wyatt has been there for me—no strings attached.

These last three summers have been the highlight of my life. I try to imagine not having the support system I have and still being the person I see in the mirror today; it is impossible because the strong relationships gained in these three years helped mold me into a determined young man. Finding people who genuinely care for my well-being is the reason why I will undoubtedly “pay-it-forward.” Even with the endless prospects, there was nothing better than the love and support I received from my Law & Government family.

NowAndThen