Crawford Law Students Are Defendant, Prosecution and Defense

"Prosecutor" Armand Binombe	"Defendant" Jamal Robinson	"Defense Attorney" Diego Cruz

It was almost a real criminal case gone to trial after six months of work, except that the attorneys and defendants were high school students and the case itself was based on Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 20 students from at Crawford's School of Law and Business worked for six months with mentors in the Crawford Legal Institute and Mentorship Bond (CLIMB) program to prepare for the trial. The students amazed the audience with their public speaking skills, courtroom strategies and professionalism.

“I was nervous at first, but it turned out to be a lot of fun," said student Greg Parker. "The best part was doing the closing argument and seeing people listen to what I have to say.”

Program mentors work with the students in a variety of ways. Every month, mentors speak to the Crawford students about the path they took to get to law school and what they can do to attain the same position. The mentors then hold a roundtable discussion where they answer questions about life and the law school experience. Culture Night, which introduces high school students to entertainment outside of the mainstream media, focuses on current social and legal issues by examining various forms of legislation, art, music, and film.

For more information, please contact Steve Luttbeg, Crawford Law Academy teacher, at sluttbeg@sandi.net or Clinton Minus for the CLIMB program at minuscm@tjsl.edu.