UK Law Gives High School Students Inside Look at Legal Education

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 7, 2016) — A diverse group of 18 high school students, representing all of Lexington’s public high schools and Sayre School, came to the University of Kentucky College of Law recently for the third annual Summer Law Institute (SLI) — a seven-day residential law camp for rising juniors and seniors interested in law and the legal profession.

Kenleigh Joseph, a student at Tates Creek High School, participated in the camp this year. "This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had," Joseph said. "I also think it’s brought me clarity on what I want to go into after high school."

Law Camp, co-hosted by the UK College of Law and the Fayette County Bar Association (FCBA), consists of four days of classes, one day of job shadowing, and a day of oral argument presentations. The classes, taught by UK law professors Allison Connelly, Mary Davis and Melissa Henke, covered the fundamentals of trial procedure, the judicial system, and criminal and civil law.

In addition to seeing the academic side of preparing to be a lawyer, students had the opportunity to see lawyers at work, in their offices and in the courtroom. They toured the Fayette Circuit Courthouse, got a glimpse of several live court sessions, and shadowed attorneys to see what a day in the life of a lawyer is really like.

In the evenings, students worked on daily assignments in Champions Court II (recently renamed Georgia M. Blazer Hall), their assigned dormitory housing, to prepare for the individual oral arguments they presented on Saturday morning in the College of Law courtroom. A law professor and two local judges critiqued the arguments.

“Each year’s group has a different personality and this group was lively, engaged, smart and maybe a bit rambunctious," said Judge Sheila Isaac, executive director for the FCBA. "They fit together very well and bonded early. As the other two groups in previous years told us, they wanted to stay longer and have a second year camp next summer.”

Aside from the busy educational agenda created by Allison Connelly, academic dean for Law Camp, there was also time to get a glimpse of student life at UK. The group that formed an instant bond played ultimate Frisbee, card games, ping-pong tournaments and even had dessert at local favorites Sav’s Grill and Insomnia Cookies.

The idea to host a law camp is credited to Isaac. When she first began as director of the FCBA, she met with the director of the Louisville Bar Association who informed her about their annual law camp funded by the Louisville Bar Foundation — the only program they have allowed to be funded every year.  She loved the idea, decided to write for a grant, and with the help of UK College of Law faculty and staff, the rest fell perfectly into place.

“Law Camp challenges these students academically and hones their speaking and debate skills,” Isaac said. “Within a week, a shy, nervous, soft-spoken student will turn into a zealous advocate for their imaginary clients.”

“The mock trial was fun,” said Keymari Johnson, rising junior at Henry Clay High School. “We all were assigned cases and had to defend our argument in front of Professor Connelly. It was like we were in a real situation.”

Isaac looks forward to next year’s Law Camp, a week that makes young people better citizens by educating them on the fundamentals of the law and trial, broadening their understanding and awareness of the bar, and promoting a positive image of the law profession.

The UK College of Law thanks the following who helped make this year’s Law Camp possible:

Law Camp Executive Director

Judge Sheila Isaac

Law Student Mentors

Rachel Hepburn

Skylar Jewell

Law Camp Faculty

Professor Allison Connelly

Professor Mary Davis

Professor Melissa Henke

Law Camp Judges and Lawyers

Judge Joe Bouvier

Matt Boyd

Taylor Brown

Judge Kim Bunnell

Julie Butcher

Traci Caneer

Connor Egan

Lucy Ferguson

John Hayne

Robert Houlihan Jr.

Kelly Kilgore

LaToi Mayo

Austin Mehr

Larry Roberts

Gregg Thornton

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, visit uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu