For the third consecutive year, students at Elon Law taught at several public high schools through a Street Law course offered in the spring semester. Street Law programs enable law students to teach practical legal information to high school students, encouraging greater awareness among teens about the impact of law on society while providing law students with opportunities to enhance legal skills and knowledge of substantive law.
Elon students taught at several public schools in Greensboro this year, including Dudley High School, Page High School, The Academy at Lincoln, and Ragsdale High School.
Through the course, law students prepare teens to participate in a mock trial held at the end of the semester. Law students offer instruction on opening statements, direct- and cross-examinations, and closing arguments among other things.
The national Street Law website explains, “Law students teach not only law but also the human rights and democratic values upon which a legal system should be based. They also ask students to examine whether the laws and legal system should be changed to better reflect these values.”
The course is taught by Larry D. Brown, Jr., Assistant District Attorney for Alamance County and a member of the extended faculty at Elon Law. The 2011 Street Law participants included law students Danielle Appelman, Chris Avery, Amy Brodland, Josh Choi, Megan Connole, Adam Furr, Hank Harrawood, Daniel Joyce, Pamela Lawrence, Allison Lukanich, Danny Lyon, Jenny Stapleton, and Matt White.
“Street Law was a remarkable experience. It is yet another component where Elon Law has excelled in breaking the mold of the traditional law school experience,” said Harrawood. “Street Law forces you to think outside the box and accomplish tasks outside of the normal law school routine. These two things are critical skills not normally taught in traditional law school curriculum.”
In addition to teaching, law students met weekly for one hour or more to discuss legal doctrine and pedagogy. They also wrote an academic critique of a legal topic related to the course as a final paper. Each law student taught at least two hours per week throughout the semester.
“Street Law is an extraordinary program, and Larry Brown is absolutely the key to the program’s success,” said Appelman. “Larry Brown’s energy and passion for the program is infectious. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to take a class led by such a wonderful, caring professor. Having Larry Brown as a professor has been the highlight of my law school experience thus far. Elon Law is fortunate to have such a wonderful man affiliated with its law program.”
“Larry Brown is a fresh and exciting voice in and around Elon Law,” echoed Harrawood. “His focus on service is unparalleled and his passion is unquestioned as he continues leaving his mark on the community in which he lives through the Street Law program.”
“Street Law has been my one of my favorite classes I’ve taken during my time at Elon Law,” said StapIeton. “I have not only gained relationships with my students but have also had a chance to sharpen my public speaking skills and ability to teach the law to lay persons. My professor, Larry Brown, is passionate in his goal to reach out to our youth at an earlier age. This allows us to spark interest in the legal profession and instill debate and analytical skills at a critical point in their education.”
Elon law professor Steve Friedland directed a Street Law program at another law school for a decade prior to joining Elon as a member of the founding faculty of the law school. He sponsored the creation of the program at Elon during the 2008-2009 academic year.
The Street Law program exists in more than 70 law schools. Click here for additional information about the program.
Reporting for this article contributed by Danielle Appelman, L’12.