Newark, NJ -- Sometimes all that is needed are a chance and some direction. Starting this month, Seton Hall University School of Law will provide that chance and direction to urban youth in Newark and East Orange through a “pipeline program” designed to assist underserved students with mastering the skills they need to succeed in college and as future attorneys.

In partnership with NJ LEEP, Seton Hall Law School is launching the “New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project.” A four-year, comprehensive “college-bound program,” the project will expose high-school students to the possibility of a career as an attorney and provide them with the training and support they need to achieve academic success from high school through college.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker will speak at the program’s inaugural celebration on Friday, January 12, at Seton Hall Law School at 5:30 p.m.

More than just a skills training program, the New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project also will provide students with SAT preparation; assistance in the college selection process, including the writing of a personal essay; support through their college years; an attorney mentor; and preparation for the LSAT exam when that time comes.

“If we want to increase diversity in the legal profession, then we need to empower more urban students with the skills they need to get there,” explains Craig Livermore, director of NJ LEEP. Founded in 2006, NJ LEEP is modeled on the successful Legal Outreach, Inc. pipeline programs in New York City, where Livermore, a graduate of Columbia Law School, previously worked as an education coordinator.

NJ LEEP is part of the pipeline effort dedicated to increasing diversity within the legal profession. The organization helps to empower urban youth from underserved neighborhoods to perform at high academic levels by building their academic skills and providing them with role models who have achieved professional success.

The Seton Hall Law program will start with visits to eighth-grade classrooms in Newark and East Orange this month. During those visits, students will be asked to discuss a 19th century case involving a shipwreck, a crew that is starving and a sick passenger the others decide to kill. The case, explains Livermore, not only quickly grabs the interest of students, but also offers them insight into the myriad complex issues attorneys are asked to handle. The students then will be invited to take part in a five-week long Summer Law Institute at Seton Hall Law School, consisting of a course in criminal law, a mock trial and field trips to law firms, courtrooms and other legal venues. Next, the students will be invited to apply to the After-School Program, a five-day-a-week program running from their first year in high school through graduation. In that program, they will focus on building their skills in math and writing, improving their academic performance and gaining admission to a top college or university.

In addition to that program, Seton Hall Law School’s Center for Social Justice and NJ LEEP also will be conducting a “Community Law & Education Project.” In that program, Seton Hall Law students will teach criminal and constitutional law classes one day a week in eighth-grade classrooms in Newark and East Orange. Similar to the four-year program, the Community Law & Education Project is designed to expose more urban students to the legal profession and to encourage their academic success.

Both initiatives are supported with funding from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation.

“In addition to providing a college-bound pathway for urban youth, these initiatives serve another critical role of introducing Seton Hall Law students to the potency of law as a tool for community empowerment,” notes Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Kathleen Boozang. “By launching this program at Seton Hall Law, we help to serve the community around us, reinforce our role as a partner in urban revitalization, and fulfill our mission of exposing our students to the power and purpose of public interest work.”

To find out more about NJ LEEP and the Seton Hall Law partnership programs, please visit www.njleep.org, or contact Craig Livermore at (973) 242-0951.
 

The only private law school in New Jersey, Seton Hall University School of Law was founded in 1951, and is located in the city of Newark. Seton Hall Law School offers both day and evening programs leading to the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Science in Jurisprudence (M.S.J.) degrees. For more information on Seton Hall Law School, visit law.shu.edu.