Law School Hosts High School/Middle School Mock Trial “Diversity Pipeline” Event

On Saturday, March 5, nearly 50 volunteers and Lewis & Clark staff members came together to host a mock trial event run by the Law School and hosted at the CAS campus.  Attendance was the highest in the 12 years of the program’s existence.  There were 110 highschool and middle school students brought to the campus the TRiO, a  federally funded organization working with youth from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. The event is held as part of the DiscoverLaw.Org Months created by the Law School Admissions Council which provides substantial funding for law schools to create programs designed as “diversity pipeline” events.  The DiscoverLaw.Org Month focuses on reaching out to young people from backgrounds underrepresented in the field of law in order to educate them about law as a career.

A number of law firms and community organizations helped out by donating items given to the students.  These included Bullivant, Davis Wright, the Oregon State Bar, LexisNexis, Westlaw, Perkins Coie, ID Experts, and Advanced Legal Services.

All of the students in attendance reported having a great time, and raved about how much they learned. When asked to sum up their mock trial experience, over 100 students ranging in age from 6th to 10th grade reported that they found this event “Amazing,” “Awesome,” “Educational,” and of course, “Fun!”  One sixth grader said  “I loved this field trip and I’m happy I participated because I used to think that being an attorney wasn’t the right job for me, but after today, it was the best experience I ever had!”