Leadership in Law

Some people know what they want to do with their lives from the moment they enter first grade. Others have a harder time deciding. I’m part of the latter group. But from a very young age, my teachers have said to me, “Jamille, you’d make a great lawyer.”

At the time, I wasn’t sure whether I should take their comments as compliments, or as a sign to stop arguing. But they forced me to think about pursuing a legal career.

Ten years later, I’m still thinking about it. I’m still unsure. But at least now, after spending three weeks working as a teacher’s assistant for Columbia University’s High School Summer Program, Leadership in Law, I have obtained a clear picture regarding what a law career entails. I learned that a lawyer’s job is to help his client in every way possible; a lawyer must pick apart every aspect of a story, scene, or event and use the small details to defend his client. I saw how rough and consuming—but rewarding—the job is.

For the past 23 years, Columbia University has been conducting summer programs for high school students. Students travel there from all over the world to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. These programs give students a jumpstart; they allow them to pursue areas of interest and learn from renowned college professors prior to their freshman year of college. This year, 1,000 students from around the world participated in Columbia’s High School Programs. Of those 1,000 students, around 45 of them opted to join the Leadership in Law Program, which was founded by Dr. Abe Tawil and designed to give students a realistic picture of the legal profession. This program gave students the opportunity to learn from the experts themselves.

During the program, students visited the District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General Coumo’s Office, two law firms, The United Nations, and the Bankruptcy Court House. The lawyers and judges they met shared argumentative strategies, and advice from their experiences. The students were even given the privilege to sit in on actual court cases. During all visits, the students were given the opportunity to ask professionals questions about anything concerning legal education, and legal professions.

The students also learned about the value of a law degree. Although law school is a vital part of one’s road to becoming a legal professional, a law degree is valuable for advancement in other areas as well. The skills obtained from law school can be used to open and conduct a business, become an author, or to educate others in virtually any area.

One lawyer at Fried Frank Law Firm, one of the firms the students visited, said, “With a law degree, you can do anything, except become a doctor.”

The professors and speakers also showed how one can combine a law school degree and a personal interest to find a career that suites them. Jill Greenwald Esq., who works for ABC News, relayed to the class how she fused her law degree and interest in the media to find her career. Greenwald handles the legal work and contracts for ABC News.

Likewise, Lauren Hyman Esq., from the Bronx Psychiatric Center, merged her law degree in Public Interest, and her desire to help those who are or were psychologically unstable to find her career. Hyman helps those who wish to be released from psychiatric wards file lawsuits. The possibilities are endless; with a law degree, one can pursue a variety of careers.

Another helpful aspect of the program was its insight into the law school application process. A representative from The Princeton Review spoke to the students about the LSAT, the Law School Admissions Test. The class was notified about the sections on the LSAT, and the skills needed to excel in each of them. A shortened sample test was then administered and reviewed. Furthermore, Columbia University Law School Admissions visited the class to tell the students what accomplishments and preparations are necessary for the law school application process. They also gave the students advice regarding how to get accepted into a top law school.

In return for their studies, students were required to complete various independent assignments after class hours. The main focus of the students’ independent work was The Practicum Project. For this project, the students were asked to research a social problem of interest that could be solved or alleviated by a legal solution. On the final day of classes, the students, in groups, presented each social issue, the problems that accompanied it, and how they would go about solving them. Each of the groups used different methods of presentation including skits, slideshows, and videos. The students seemed extremely passionate about the issues they chose. Most of them even planned on taking steps to help solve their particular social issue.

The ratio of teacher’s assistants to students was around 1:5. At the start of the program, each TA, was assigned four or five students whom they were responsible for. From time to time, the class would break up into “TA groups” to discuss legal issues. The students of each group would share their opinions on the issue, discuss and argue. As a TA, I would moderate these discussions and attempt to help each of the students present their arguments in an organized, persuasive fashion. As a Teacher’s Assistant, I gained as much knowledge and experience as the students, if not more. The intelligent comments of the students always left me with something to think about and research.

All in all, for the staff and students, Leadership in Law was a wonderful experience.
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Jamille Sutton is a graduate of Manhattan High School for Girls. She spent this past year studying in Israel and is currently attending Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College.