On Friday, February 20, Widener Law’s Delaware campus played host to minority students from six area high schools. Students from the Charter School of Wilmington, Chester High, Penncrest High School, Dickinson High School, and Mastery Charter School attended the program and learned about the opportunities, the challenges, and the value of a legal education.
The Law School Experience
After a short welcome and the opportunity to try their hand at a couple of difficult LSAT questions, the students were treated to a short mock Torts class taught by Associate Professor Kathleen Turezyn. The lively class featured a look at the case of Breunig v. American Family Ins. Co. and the reasonable person standard. She described how and why the standard was created, noting that it allows the court to measure a person’s action by asking, “What would the reasonable person do under the circumstances?” The case in question dealt with a woman responsible for an automobile accident claiming that she should not be held responsible for the incident because of an unforeseeable moment of insanity. The court rejected that defense, claiming that her behavior was foreseeable because she had previously claimed to talk to God.
Next, Legal Writing Professor and Director of Bar Programs Micah Yarbrough spoke about legal writing and the bar exam. Emphasizing the importance of writing skills, he noted that “Most of what lawyers do, especially right out of law school, is write.” He also discussed the importance of “Learning how to think like a lawyer does, and how to communicate that analysis.” He also related his personal experiences about taking the bar exam and took a number of very astute questions from the students on how admission to practice worked and whether or not it could be transferred from state to state.
Transitioning to the Professional World
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Serena Williams addressed the students next, providing a look at the var