PRESIDENT’S PAGE
James I. Stealey, President
The WV State Bar

"HELPING KIDS"

"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation" -- C. Everett Koop
All across America, our young people are at risk of becoming involved in unproductive or illegal activities. Children must be shown viable alternatives before they make irrevocable choices dooming their - and our - future. Every child has to realize that he or she can succeed, if given the opportunity.
As influential people in our communities, we have a responsibility to do what we can to make our kids aware of the alternatives before its too late, before they are sucked down into the vortex of poverty, crime, drugs and despair. Lawyers and bar associations in other states have come up with a unique and very effective way to accomplish this important goal, known as Mentor Programs. A Mentor Program establishes a partnership between a lawyer/law firm and high school classes, providing students with a more realistic view of the legal profession. Mentor attorneys and teachers help students understand the pervasiveness of the law in their daily lives, and give students a sense of the situations they may have to deal with in their role as citizens. A good Mentor Program helps to increase student understanding and appreciation for our legal system, and to develop interest among students in careers in law and law-related fields. Studies have shown that the indirect benefits of such programs include dropout prevention, goal orientation and establishment, and development of self-esteem. They foster interpersonal skills unlike any other programs conducted for students. More importantly, a Mentor Program can help those less fortunate break the boundaries of poverty, especially among minority groups. Thus, the important goal of diversification of the profession can be more easily accomplished with the implementation of an effective Mentor Program, which hopefully will help identify promising minority students and to motivate them to pursue a career in law.
Mentor Programs which have been implemented in other states come in all shapes and sizes. Generally speaking, though, most Mentor Programs consist of a class visit by a lawyer or members of a law firm, a law firm visit by members of the class, a court visit, and other optional activities such as a law firm/bar sponsored luncheon, a mock trial or moot court debate, and opportunities for students to "shadow" lawyers, judges, court reporters, clerks, magistrates, probation officers, etc. for a few days to a week to see what they do in real life. Lawyers, teachers, students and school administrators all have different responsibilities to make sure that the program is successful. After completion of the program, the participants critique their work to see which parts of the program need to be expanded, which need to be reduced or eliminated, and how the participants can work together to improve the quality of the program in upcoming years.
Organizing a first class Mentor Program requires enthusiasm, energy, commitment and dedication. Therefore, I have asked the Young Lawyers Section of the State Bar to consider coordinating and adopting the implementation of a Mentor Program in West Virginia as one of its many community service projects. I hope the YLS will adopt the Mentor Program idea and begin working on the specifics of a program to put into place across the State. I think the Foundation Fellows are another excellent source of lawyers to assist in this endeavor. Who better to serve as states persons for our profession that those whom we, ourselves, have recognized for their many years of leadership and dedicated service. I plan to address this issue with the Bar Foundation at its October meeting. I also plan to visit personally with the State Superintendent of Schools to make sure there are no inherent barriers to establishing a Mentor Program state-wide. Once all the preliminaries and details are in place, I will discuss the matter with the State Bar Board of Governors to solicit their support for this program.
But ultimately, this program will not work unless lawyers in every city and town in West Virginia are willing to give a little of their time to help kids, thereby improving the image of the legal profession in the process. I hope that when the time comes, if you are given the chance to participate, you will consider this a worthwhile endeavor and give a little of your time to it. Please help us educate our children on how to become valuable and contributing members of our society, by instilling in them a sense of self-worth, confidence in their abilities, and a desire to succeed. In doing so, you will not only be helping kids, but you and your colleagues will receive a great return on your investment.