CHICAGO – Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Mentor Teacher Brother, Inc. (MTB), the hallmark community development initiative of Phi Rho Eta Fraternity, Inc., will hold the 8th Annual Don Hubert Scholars Program Mock Trial Competition on Friday, November 18, at 1 N Wacker, Barnes & Thornburg’s office building.
Hosted at Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office, the event, named after respected attorney and former president of the Chicago Bar Association, Don Hubert, introduces 150 minority male teenagers to the legal profession with a one-day mock trial competition, guest speaker presentations, and a reception.
Lindsey Dates, a Chicago-based partner and member of Barnes & Thornburg’s Litigation Department, founded the event and remains an active member of MTB through Phi Rho Eta Fraternity, Inc.
“This program introduces students to the legal profession,” said Dates, who will serve as chair of this year’s event. “From personal experience, I’m pretty sure that I didn’t meet a lawyer for the first time until I went to law school, and I had no idea what it was really like to practice law. Many of these students share a similar story and the mock trial experience helps to shed a positive light on the legal profession.”
During the mock trial competition, students are divided into five-person teams and are assigned to represent either the plaintiff or defendant. The students try the entire case, from opening and closing statements and direct and cross examinations of witnesses to objections and motions (i.e., everything attorneys do in “real” trials).
Dates added: “Programs like this are important for high school students. I’d like to see more of them, and believe they should not be limited to the legal profession. You never know what will strike a chord with a young person, whether its business, medicine or other fields.”
With local attorneys serving as coaches and local judges assigned to score the teams, the mock trial competition has achieved significant prominence through the participation of local legal luminaries. “Every time we host this event, it makes me very proud to be an attorney,” said Dates. “I’m inspired to see how hard the students and volunteers work with each other throughout the day.”
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 13 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter at @BTLawNews.
Hosted at Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office, the event, named after respected attorney and former president of the Chicago Bar Association, Don Hubert, introduces 150 minority male teenagers to the legal profession with a one-day mock trial competition, guest speaker presentations, and a reception.
Lindsey Dates, a Chicago-based partner and member of Barnes & Thornburg’s Litigation Department, founded the event and remains an active member of MTB through Phi Rho Eta Fraternity, Inc.
“This program introduces students to the legal profession,” said Dates, who will serve as chair of this year’s event. “From personal experience, I’m pretty sure that I didn’t meet a lawyer for the first time until I went to law school, and I had no idea what it was really like to practice law. Many of these students share a similar story and the mock trial experience helps to shed a positive light on the legal profession.”
During the mock trial competition, students are divided into five-person teams and are assigned to represent either the plaintiff or defendant. The students try the entire case, from opening and closing statements and direct and cross examinations of witnesses to objections and motions (i.e., everything attorneys do in “real” trials).
Dates added: “Programs like this are important for high school students. I’d like to see more of them, and believe they should not be limited to the legal profession. You never know what will strike a chord with a young person, whether its business, medicine or other fields.”
With local attorneys serving as coaches and local judges assigned to score the teams, the mock trial competition has achieved significant prominence through the participation of local legal luminaries. “Every time we host this event, it makes me very proud to be an attorney,” said Dates. “I’m inspired to see how hard the students and volunteers work with each other throughout the day.”
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 13 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter at @BTLawNews.
