wfn.org | Urban teens get their day in court

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

July 30, 1998    Contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn.         {453}
  
NOTE: A photograph is available with this story.

By Michele D. Manigault*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Twenty-three high school students are in D.C.
Superior Court but not for the reasons you might quickly assume.

For six weeks, the students studied, wrote legal briefs and took classes
to prepare for conducting their own mock trials July 27-30. The students
were part of a Summer Law College offered to encourage urban teens to
consider attending college.

"This is not a program that is traditionally offered to teens," said
Marc Loud, an attorney based in Washington and chairman of the United
Methodist Lawyers Guild. "We felt that this was the age where we could
reach children on the edge and perhaps motivate or push them enough for
them to see college as a possibility for their lives."

The Summer Law College for Teens is a paid internship program for youth,
ages 16 to 18, who are interested in learning more about the legal
profession. It emphasizes trial advocacy and preparation. In its second
year, the program ran daily from June 24 to July 31. Classes included
introductions to legal writing and research, preparation of opening
statements and closing arguments, and field trips to D.C. Superior
Court, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol Building.

The classes were taught by members of the United Methodist Lawyers
Guild, which was formed two years ago to help church members combine
their personal faith with their professional lives.  In their mission
statement, the lawyers, who attend area United Methodist churches,
committed themselves to celebrating their vocation as a sacred calling,
grounded in the search for justice.  From diverse backgrounds, the
lawyers work in a variety of settings and meet regularly for Bible
study, fellowship and service projects such as the Summer Law College.

While the students learned to conduct research and write legal briefs,
they also picked up a few faith lessons along the way.

"We pray that these students will take what they learn and build it into
a great life of service," said the Rev. Carroll Gunkel, pastor of Mt.
Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Washington. The congregation
made its building available for the six-week program.

"Lawyers can provide the undergirding for a society built on
reconciliation and justice," said Bishop Felton E. May, leader of the
church's Baltimore-Washington Conference. May commended the lawyers for
giving of themselves to be both "holy" and "bold." He defined "holy
boldness" as a concept that has encouraged United Methodists to
translate their faith boldly into action. He described the lawyers in
the guild as attorneys who are "going the distance to live out their
faith."

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*Manigault is a communications officer for the Baltimore-Washington
Conference of the United Methodist Church.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/