April 2011Volume 16Number 4PDF icon PDF version (for best printing)

Girl Scouts Project Law Track 2011

In January 2011, the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women kicked off a program entitled “Project Law Track” in conjunction with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Project Law Track is a series of interactive sessions all relating to the interesting field of law. Female attorneys with the Alliance committee and several teen Girl Scouts have designed a series of dynamic sessions that will culminate in a mock trial in May 2011.

In order to fulfill the goals of the program, the Alliance and Girl Scouts will jointly host the following workshops:

Session 1: Monday, January 31, 2011: Law as Seen on TV - Law and Order, Judge Judy, Legally Blonde.

Are these all shows that you like to watch? Then come to our first law series to determine fact from fiction.

Help us point out the attorney, judge, jury, and other people who work in the courtroom! We will watch one of these TV shows and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the actors with female attorneys.

Session 2: Thursday, February 24, 2011: Law Career Day – When people think about a lawyer or a career in law, they may not realize how many different types of lawyers there are – so many specialties and so many interests. Girl Scouts will have the chance to interact with various female attorneys, learn about their different careers, find out how they became interested in the law, receive first hand advice and ask questions.

Session 3: Wednesday, March 30, 2011: Law School Day at Northwestern University School of Law.

Have you ever considered a career in law but didn’t quite know how to get there? Which undergraduate programs are the best and what type of law field could you be most successful in? Girl Scouts will have the chance to talk to real law students from Northwestern University School of Law and learn from their experiences. Girl Scouts will get a better understanding of the transformation from undergraduate student to a law school student.

Session 4: Tuesday, May 3, 2011: Mock Trial Preparation – Step into the shoes of a real courtroom attorney by participating in a mock trial exercise. At this preparation session, attorneys from the Chicago Bar Association will introduce the Girl Scouts to a practice legal case that they willl get to help try later in the week. Girl Scouts will learn the facts about the case, be assigned a role and then practice giving an argument and/or examining a witness. The attorneys will be there to give tips and help the Girl Scouts practice.

Session 5: Saturday, May 7, 2011: Mock Trial in a Real Court Room – (Note: location will be in Chicago, IL; further details to be announced; requires attendance at mock trial preparation on Tuesday, May 3).

Now the Girl Scouts are ready to try their case in a real courtroom! Girl Scouts will play the same role they practiced at the preparation session, except this time they will get to do it in front of an actual judge. This is a fun exercise in which they will learn what it feels like to be a trial attorney and receive positive feedback from judges, attorneys and other Girl Scouts who will be there to cheer them on. The mock trial will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Additional opportunity: May 2011 service project activity to help our community with Women Everywhere. While cleaning, shoveling or doing whatever job may be necessary for the public good, Girl Scouts can side-by-side connect with lawyers on a personal level and learn more about the benefits and expectations of a job in the field of law. It is a great chance to ask important questions and a great way to find similarities between a girl and a real hard-working lawyer. (Date to be determined)

Location: Sessions 1-2 and 4 will take place at Navigant Consulting Inc., 30 S. Wacker, Suite 3550, Chicago, IL 60606; Session 3 will take place at Northwestern University School of Law

Time: Sessions 1 – 4 will be held from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

We hope that we can live up to the high expectations of the group of about 31 phenomenal Girl Scouts, but we need your help! Please contact Regine Corrado at (312) 861-8844 or regine.corrado@bakermckenzie.com or Maureen Aidasani at Maureen.Aidasani@GT.com or Connie Willegal at cwillegal@girlscoutgcnwi.org if you would like to be part of this program. We need many volunteers, especially for the mock trial. Thank you in advance for your consideration. ■

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Emily N. Masalski is a volunteer with the Girl Scouts Project Law Track. She is a co-Editor of The Catalyst and the 2010-2011 Coordinator of the ABA YLD Touch 10,000 Program which connects YLD leaders with new bar admittees. She is an environmental litigation associate at Deutsch, Levy & Engel, Chtd. and can be reached at masalski@dlec.com.

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