DBMA BARRISTER'S SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM VOLUNTEER SOLICITATION

DMBA Announcement: _______________

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.