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Programs

• High Schools
• Law Schools
• Denise S. Carty Summer Institute for Youth in Transition
• Community

High Schools

Currently, students at New Britain High School participate in the Street Law program through their Civics and History classes.

High school students participate in the program to gain:

• A working knowledge of the structure and processes of our legal system
• Practical understanding of Criminal, Constitutional and Family Law subjects
• Critical insights into theories governing fundamental rights and democratic order
• Opportunities to develop advanced reading, writing and/or advocacy skills
• Skills necessary to interact with professionals in the community to meet identifiable needs

Law Schools

Currently, students at the University of Connecticut School of Law participate in the Street Law Program for academic credit.

Each semester /term has a different emphasis. In cooperative efforts with members of the local bar, bench, law enforcement and social service agencies, law students learn about life from a different perspective. Their combined efforts result in community meetings, public service activities, field trips, policy debates, Brown-bag discussions on emerging topics with others in the law school community, a summer institute for at-risk teens, and they engage in long-term planning for the program.

Goals for Law Students

They are too numerous to list, but the most important include:

1. First-hand knowledge of legal procedures: Successful Street Law classes use interactive teaching strategies, including mock trails, legislative hearings, role-plays, moot courts, and simulated negotiations. When such procedures come alive in the classroom, law students gain insights and skills not easily acquired through reading a textbook.
2. Ability to communicate: Law student instructors enhance their ability to explain legal concepts in terms understandable to the lay public and communicate effectively before large groups, which requires organized thoughts, quick assimilation of data, and adequate public speaking skills.
3. Ability to enter and sustain a mentoring relationship: The relationship between the law student instructor and his or her students, resembles that of a counselor, exemplified between a college freshman and graduate school mentor. The relationship requires authenticity, the ability to establish trust; a desire for clear progress, and willingness to discuss real-world consequences related to the law and success in the world.
4. Exposure to other professionals: Law students gain experience working with other professionals such as lawyers, judges, and school administrators. They gain an understanding of the demands of the teaching profession and the impact of educational trends like the imposition of teacher standards and high-stakes testing of students. Law students are often in a good position to integrate resources from police departments, helping professions and government offices into their classroom presentations.
5. Knowledge about community resources: Law students become familiar with local community resources and estimate where they might be able to fill gaps. Law students and high-schoolers undertake joint efforts to make a difference in the broader community. E.g. Refurnishing a homeless shelter, facilitating a civilian-police dialog in areas with reports of misconduct, writing local legislators, researching local environmental issues, or spreading awareness about important health concerns.
6. The impact of laws on the community: Street Law participation brings the human element back into the law student's education. Law students learn from their students about how laws impact people whose lives and opportunities reflect public policy aimed at the poverty line (if not a corporation's bottom line). The strengths and weaknesses of the legal system come into clearer focus. Such insight may become the catalyst for the pursuit of career paths aimed at improving fairness and accountability.

Denise S. Carty Summer Institute for Youth in Transisition

Street Law for Youth in Transition works with professionals in foster care, transitional and independent living programs, and other social service sectors to create practical legal education programs for youth. The vision of the program is simple: Youth who understand the laws and systems that surround them, and who have the skills to use that knowledge effectively, will be more successful in their transition to legal adulthood. This is especially important for those youth who, for various reasons, do not have the family and community resources to call on for support in these areas.

Social workers, case managers, life skills teachers, and others around the country are partnering with lawyers, judges, law students and others to create effective Street Law programs for youth making the transition to adulthood. The Street Law for Youth in Transition lessons deal with topics including:

• Finding housing
• Understanding rights and responsibilities of employment
• Accessing social services
• Education and health law
• Consumer laws and protections
• Police procedures
• Working with a lawyer
• Avoiding child abuse and neglect
• Understanding the foster care system & legal issues related to closing cases and others

Community

Community Service Projects

Are sponsored by the Street Law Cooperative, but include the entire law school and greater Hartford Community. Projects target a need that remains largely unmet in terms of traditional community resources. Collaboration with other groups on UConn's and other law school campuses is especially encouraged.

Field Trips

Field trips to the law school, court houses and legislative office buildings provide valuable experience for teens and are highly encouraged.

Forums

The Street Law Cooperative sponsors public discussions, debates, mock-trials and other competitions in order to highlight important legal issues and encourage youngsters to consider law as a career.