1/30/01--As part of National Minority Law Student Recruitment Month, the Boston College Law School will host 30 Brighton High School students on its Newton campus from 2-5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14. The event, intended to encourage more minority students to consider entering the legal profession, is being held in collaboration with the Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement Boston College/Boston Public Schools partnership (Coalition) at Boston College Lynch School of Education.

"We want to send a strong message to young people in our city--particularly young men and woman of color--that legal education and a career in law are real possibilities for them," said Michael Cassidy, Associate Dean for Administration at Boston College Law School. "The good news is that you see increased numbers of minority students and minority faculty at the nation's top law schools today, including Boston College Law School. But we can and should do better. People of color need to know that law school is a place for them, and that being a lawyer is an attainable goal."

Students will begin the program with a tour of the Boston College Law School campus, including the new library and East Wing. They will observe a moot court argument by the BC national environmental moot court team, and presentations by law professors, administrators and students. The day will conclude with a reception for the high school students, giving them the chance to meet law school student representatives and to discuss the law school experience.

This is the first such event in the history of Boston College Law School, and a trend that is growing in popularity across the country. Research shows that many minority students do not have as much exposure to colleges or universities and the mentors who can influence them. The Law School Admissions Council currently offers grants to fund law school programs that are targeted to minorities who are not normally part of a school's applicant pool, including high school and young college students.

"The opportunity to walk on a real law school campus, meet with law professors and talk to current law students, sends a powerful message that attending law school and becoming a lawyer are real possibilities for students of color," said Danne Davis, a Ph.D. student at the BC Lynch School of Education, who helped coordinate the program. "Exposing high school students to law school supports the objectives of the Coalition of providing powerful forms of instruction that can develop goals and ultimately encourage students to achieve academic success. And the campus visit supports the Boston Public Schools School-to-Career Competencies."