Law & Leadership Institute Seeking Internship Site
Dear Friends,
As you may be aware, in 2008, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Center for Law Related Education and the nine Ohio law schools have combined resources and established the Law and Leadership Institute, LLC, a pipeline program for high school students designed to enrich their educational experiences and prepare them for college and, hopefully, for law school. The summer and academic year programs prepare youth from underserved communities to compete at high academic levels through intense law related educational programming to develop analytical skills, foster vision, develop leadership skills, reinforce confidence, and facilitate the pursuit of higher education. The program began in Cleveland and Columbus that year and expanded to Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Akron last summer. Additional information is available through the links below.
In this second year of the program in Akron, we expect 20 of the best and brightest 10th grade high school students in the Akron Public Schools will enroll for their second summer. The culmination of their second summer is a four (4) day internship at a law firm, Monday—Thursday, beginning July 26, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. The program allows the students to tackle legal problems and projects (see below) and receive feedback from the firm’s lawyers.
The 2009 participant firms’ experience in Cleveland and Columbus last summer was overwhelmingly positive, and they have all agreed to host students again this summer. We now have the need for participating firms in Akron, so we are asking your firm to commit to provide this four day program at their firm this summer.
Each participating firm is asked to take one or two students and provide them with a “learning by doing” experience, for which each student will receive a $250 stipend from the sponsoring firm or corporation. LLI provides sample problems and projects in a LLI Summer Internship Manual, and LLI will provide brief (1 hour) training and answer any questions in a conference call on June 21, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Law firms are free to use the problems in the manual or develop their own projects. The overriding aim is to provide the students with a project that will allow them to analyze and to communicate their thoughts to the lawyers in writing and orally. The manual contains a sample schedule for the four day program and a suggested list of outside activities (shadowing, etc.), which can be tailored to best fit the sponsoring firm or company’s needs. The manual is designed to truly make this program “plug and play” and as easy and enjoyable as possible for both the students and their sponsoring firms.
If your firm is willing to serve as an internship site, please
contact Donnie Long by email. If you have any questions, please feel free to call him at 253-5007. One of us will follow-up with each of you to confirm your firm’s participation in the program. The following firms have committed to hosting an intern:
Brouse McDowell
Goldman & Rosen
Leiby, Hannah & Rasnick , LLC
Oldham Kramer
Perantinides & Nolan
Roderick Linton Belfance
Roetzel & Andress
The Scanlon Group
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease
Bernlohr Niekamp
Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
Hahn Loeser
Office of Chapter 13 Trustee
Won’t you add your firm to this growing list?
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
Donnie Long
LLI Board Member
Joann Sahl
LLI Site Supervisor
Kimberly L. Oliver
Chair, Diversity Committee
LAW & LEADERSHIP WEBSITE
AKRON LAW LLI WEBSITE