Legal Mentors
After-School
Legal Mentors
Legal mentors play a crucial role in Discovering Justice’s Mock Trial and Mock Appeal programs. Guiding students as they delve into concepts of justice and democracy, legal mentors help middle school students connect with professionals in the legal field, volunteering their time to work with teams of students as they prepare and litigate mock cases created by Discovering Justice volunteers. Legal mentors meet with students for 90 minutes on a weekly basis to help them prepare a plaintiff case and a defense case, culminating in mock trial events at courthouses across Massachusetts.
We are now accepting applications for legal mentor partners for the Spring 2024 Mock Appeal Program!
"We've been doing this program for almost ten years and it's literally the highlight of the week for us."Â
Cristina & Debbie Freitas
Freitas & Freitas, LLP
Lowell, MA
Spring 2024 Program Fast Facts
- Time Commitment: Week of March 11th-May 27th (11 weeks), 60-90 min/once a week, after school.Â
- Who: 3-5 legal mentors work with 8-12 middle school students, with the support of 1 teacher coordinator
- Where:Â Hybrid: at the school, law firm, or virtual for weekly sessions. The culminating courthouse event will take place in a local courthouse.Â
- Experience Level: Legal background and/or JD preferred, but not required
- Training and Materials: Discovering Justice runs a 2-hour orientation and training in late February. We provide legal mentors with the entire Mock Appeal curriculum including lesson plans, corresponding slide decks, case materials, and teaching tools.Â
Read our Frequently Asked Questions about being a Legal Mentor.Â
Where
Law offices and schools throughout Massachusetts, with both in-person and online attendance options, and culminating trial events held at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, the United States Federal Courthouse in Worcester, the United States Federal Courthouse in Springfield, the Lowell Justice Center, New Bedford Superior Court, and more.
When
After-school team meeting sessions held once per week over the course of ten weeks, with the Mock Trial Program during the fall school semester, and the Mock Appeal Program during the spring semester.
Who
Any legal professional can be a legal mentor including, but not limited to, attorneys, law students, clerks, paralegals, judges and court staff. Contact Malia Brooks at mbrooks@discoveringjustice.org if you’d like to become a legal mentor or complete this brief application form.Â
Hannah Esquenazi
Legal Mentor, Jones Day
âYoung kids come into contact with civic issues every day. As a legal mentor in Discovering Justiceâs Mock Trial program, I can be someone to remind them that they can speak up and voice their opinions, and that their opinions are worth hearing.â
Meg Ziegler
Legal Mentor, Choate Hall & Stewart
âI love Discovering Justice! I would encourage all lawyers to try it out for a semester and I would also encourage all students that can to sign up.â
Jay Blitzman
First Justice of the Middlesex County Division of the Juvenile Court
"Thanks to Discovering Justice, students in Massachusetts have civic education programs that help young people learn about the justice system and directly engage in public discourse regarding the issues that affect them.â
