The National Bar Association’s (NBA) Region 1 is launching a yearlong honors program next Monday, Dec. 12, aimed at high school students interested in law.
A two-pronged initiative focused on career education and exploration coupled with networking, the program will meet for the first time at the John Adams Courthouse at 4 p.m.
“We’re a pretty young group of lawyers looking for a way to give back,” said Shanel Lindsay, director of Human Resources and Employment Counsel at Massachusetts Lottery. “I remember being in high school and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Nor did I know what was involved in getting where I needed to be.”
The meeting will consist of a program overview, a tour of the courthouse and a dialog with the students. The NBA is eager to hear what the students are interested in so they can best tailor the program. Overall there will be networking, professional panels, tours and job shadowing.
“It’s open to students who are interested in any aspect of the law, traditional lawyers, paralegals, clerks, the whole gamut,” Lindsay said. “It’s important the students learn about different areas of the law from criminal to financial to probate so that if they do decide to pursue the profession, they know how to position themselves.”
Lindsay and the other participating lawyers are hoping the exposure to the law can help inform the students’ decisions about their future.
“Children in wealthier communities have brothers, sisters and fathers in professional atmospheres. At one point, I wanted to be a doctor. So I went to this program in D.C. We went to hospitals and we got a chance to touch cadavers,” Lindsay explained. “Though I chose to go in another direction, it boosted my self worth and it demystified the profession.”
She expects 20-30 lawyers to participate in the honors program. The lawyers and students will meet each month.
“We expect this to be a really robust program and hope the students will see this as a mirror of what they can become,” she said
For more information about registering for the NBA Regional 1’s Honor Program, call Shanel Lindsay at 781-849-5520.
