Dialogues on Freedom: Judges, Lawyers Needed to Discuss Freedom and Its Responsibilities with High School Students

LACBA’s Annual Dialogues on Freedom program will take place on October 19, 2011.

Volunteers are needed to conduct a one-hour interactive discussion with a high school class. Please contact lalaw4kids@lacba.org.

The 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy is the opportune time for members of the legal community to discuss freedom and its responsibilities with Los Angeles-area high school students.

Join LACBA’s Dialogues on Freedom to help lead a discussion in a local high school on October 19, 2011, focusing on the meaning of freedom balanced with security issues. The program, which began in the wake of September 11, takes place in October this year due to a later school calendar.

Since its inception in 2002, the annual program, produced in cooperation with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Superior Court, has become a day of remembrance and tribute, and an opportunity for members of the law community to impact local high school students in the broader community—future decision-makers in particular need of guided discussion regarding the importance of events since 2001. 

By focusing on issues related to our legal system and government to which they can relate, volunteer teams of lawyers and judges will conduct dialogues throughout the day on October 19 in high school classes throughout Los Angeles County.

Last year, teams received assignments at the following schools: Belmont, Chatsworth, Dorsey, Eagle Rock, El Segundo, Esteban Torres, Jefferson, Lincoln, Mendez Learning Center, Monroe, Narbonne, North Hollywood, Roosevelt, University, Venice, Verdugo Hills, West Adams Prep, and Wilson, as well as several non-LAUSD campuses. Schools participating this year will be posted at www.lacba.org as the program date approaches.

Personal interaction with judges and lawyers can be the spark that ignites a young person’s interest in pursuing a legal career. By providing students exposure to legal professionals, the program contributes to the pipeline concept in schools that exemplify the diversity of Los Angeles.

Volunteer Trainings

Judges and lawyers who are interested in volunteering should e-mail the following information—name, firm/office name, firm/office address, office phone, cell phone, and e-mail address—to lalaw4kids@lacba.org, or fill out the online form. Please volunteer by October 1 so that classroom and partner assignments can be provided at least one week prior to the day of dialogues.

In addition, volunteers who wish to participate in this year's dialogues need to attend one of the four training sessions listed below:

• A shortened training session has been set for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 26, at LACBA, 1055 W. 7th Street, 27th Floor, Los Angeles, followed by the second annual kick-off reception for Dialogues on Freedom volunteers and an address by UC Irvine Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. This event will provide one hour of CLE credit. The September 26 CLE program and reception has limited seating, and registrants should commit to leading one or more dialogues on October 19. To attend the September 26 session, register here.
• A new option this year is an hour-long training session that will be held as a “brown bag” at lunchtime on Thursday, October 6, at LACBA headquarters, 1055 W. 7th Street, 27th Floor. To attend the October 6 session, register here.
• An hour-long training session will take place on Wednesday, October 12, at 5:30 p.m. at Cleveland High School, 8140 Vanalden Ave., Reseda. To attend the October 12 session, register here.
• An hour-long training session will take place on Saturday, October 15, at 10:00 a.m. at Roxbury Park Community Center, 471 S. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills. To attend the October 15 session, register here.

Questions about volunteering with Dialogues on Freedom may be directed to lalaw4kids@lacba.org.