News Archive
IU McKinney Offers Sneak Peek of Law School During Summer Law and Leadership
06/14/2018
A record number of undergraduate students signed on for the weeklong Summer Law and Leadership Academy June 3-9 at the IU Robert H. McKinney School.
Fifty current college students from Indiana and other states—including as far as Florida and Louisiana—attended the one-week experience designed to introduce undergraduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds to law school and various careers that they may pursue with a law degree.
The IU McKinney Summer Law and Leadership Academy offers an inside look at life in law school and opportunities for law school graduates. Throughout the week, students interact with current law students, law professors, and working lawyers, while attending typical law school classes taught by IU McKinney faculty. Students also participated in mock pre-trial and trial exercises, took part in guided activities and assessments and built skills in negotiations, legal writing and LSAT preparation.
Natalie Mendez, an IUPUI student from Hammond, Indiana, participated in the summer academy. An English major, Mendez says her undergraduate courses in urban education made her want to explore ways to pursue her passion for social justice.
“A law degree could help me make the bigger changes our society needs,” she says. “It made me realize that law school is very much possible for me.”
On a visit to the offices of Faegre Baker Daniels, students heard from a panel of attorneys led by Brita A. Horvath, ’02 (right), the law firm’s director of diversity and inclusion. While the attorneys offered advice on being a first-year associate, surviving law school and finding the right career fit, Horvath was also inspired by the interest of prospective law students.
“I love doing this,” Horvath says. “For many students, law firms seem mysterious. There is no substitute for providing more visibility and exposure to prospective students.”
The IU McKinney Summer Law and Leadership program has been directed since its inception in 2014 by IU McKinney Law Professor Shawn Boyne and Office of Professional Development Assistant Dean Chasity Thompson.
Current IU McKinney law students (left, with Dean Thompson and Dean Klein) Eden Strange, Katie Heinz, Kailey Ruggiero, Erika Bryant and Cassie Heeke were teaching assistants during the week.
Learn more about the Summer Law and Leadership Academy.
