This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Law Firm Hosts 'Lawyer for a Day' Program to Motivate English Learners and Underprivileged Youths

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, twenty students from the English Learning Program at Walter Reed Middle School visited with and toured the Century City offices of the international law firm DLA Piper.

Walter Reed is a Title I public school in the Los Angeles Unified School System. A majority of the students at Walter Reed qualify for the district's free/ reduced fee lunch program.

The visit and tour were part of the inaugural "Lawyer for a Day" program hosted by DLA Piper; the Los Angeles chapter of The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), based in Washington D.C.; and the Studio City Youth Chamber of Commerce (SCYCC).

The students were treated to a tour of the offices and participated in a roundtable with a panel of bilingual and bicultural lawyers from the firm as well as the firm's corporate in-house clients. The day was unlike anything they had ever experienced. The event allowed the English-learning student to realize the value of their educational experience and the many opportunities available to them in the field of law.

Partners and associates alike at the international law firm of DLA Piper joined the students for a big lunch and presented the students with gifts that they had picked especially for them.

Tomer Kleinman, Title I and English Language Acquisition Coordinator at the Walter Reed Middle School, expressed gratitude to ACC and DLA Piper on behalf of the school and the students, and received a formal invitation to visit with Warner Bros. Studios in the Spring to explore the practice of law in-house at a large company.

One of the most encouraging feedback was given by seventh grade English-learner at Walter Reed, Oswaldo Rodriquez. "We had a wonderful time and learned a lot about the legal profession, what it takes to become a lawyer, and what it's like to be one on a day to day basis."

DLA Piper is a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest community of lawyers who practice in law departments, associations and other private-sector organizations, with more than 30,000 members in over 75 countries, based in Washington D.C.

Studio City Youth Chamber of Commerce (SCYCC) is a non-profit community service organization founded by neighborhood residents and siblings Alyssa and Laurent Chang.  SCYCC strives to empower middle school and high school students by connecting them with leaders in media, communication and law.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?