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Leadership in Law

Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2013.

Session: I, June 24-July 12, 2013

Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:00 to 4:00PM. To accommodate field trips and speakers, the class is frequently extended by 30 minutes to an hour, either by meeting earlier or by going into the mid-day activities period.

Instructor(s): James O'Brien, Abe Tawil,

Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Introduction to Conflict Resolution, Trial Advocacy, or Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing.

"I did not expect to have such a great and informative hands-on experience by actually visiting law firms and experiencing mock trials."

- From a 2012 Student Program Evaluation

Course Description

An intensive program designed for students interested in pursuing a career in law. Students acquire a realistic understanding of the substantive aspects of the law and the legal profession. Topics under consideration include legal dispute, legal reasoning, the balance of power, the court system and the role played by the courts, judicial decision making and the principles of precedent, mediation, and conflict management. In addition to building the leadership skills essential to the practice of law, students are introduced to legal research, techniques for effective oral and written presentation, and strategies for taking notes and examinations that are used not only in law school but also in high school and college.

At the heart of the program is exposure to the real world of legal practice. Students visit a number of venues, including law firms of varying size and specialization; government agencies, such as the Legal Aid Society and the District Attorney’s Office; the ACLU as well as other public- and special-interest legal advocacy groups; federal, state, and city courts; and the City Hall of New York. Site visits are complemented by guest lecturers in several areas.

Students engage in a number of exercises requiring application of the principles and concepts learned throughout the program, including mock interviews and workshops designed to expose them to the law school application and admissions processes.

Students enrolled in Leadership in Law must be prepared to devote the entire day to the program.

Instructor(s)

James O'Brien

James P. O'Brien holds a B.A. in history and geography from the University of Albany, an M.S. in secondary school education from Hofstra University, and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University. He is a practicing attorney who currently coordinates King High School’s Academy of Criminal Justice, an interdisciplinary elective program incorporating criminal law and forensic science in collaboration with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is an LSAT preparation instructor at Baruch College. He helped establish the Institute for Law and Justice at Martin Luther King, Jr., High School and founded the Law Advocacy Center, a class in which high school seniors research contemporary legal issues and share their work through their Web site.

Abe Tawil

Abe D. Tawil holds a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, an M.A. from Pepperdine University School of Law, an M.D. from the American University School of Medicine, and an M.B.A. from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, as well as several professional certifications. He is Deputy Chair of the Department of Management at Baruch College. Dr. Tawil specializes as a contract mediator and has resolved multiparty, complex employment, healthcare, family, transactional, and commercial disputes.

Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.