www.loubar.org 16 Louisville Bar Briefs Trailblazers Create Pathways... Documentary about Central High School Will Highlight Key Role of the Louisville Bar Association Laura Rothstein PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE Do you remember being in high school? Can you recall the teachers who made a difference by making you think in class, not just memo- rize? By noticing you and encouraging you to try something new? By praising something outstanding that you did? By quietly and con- structively giving you advice about how to do something better? Do you remember others who influenced you during high school? Perhaps it was a part-time or summer job supervisor. Was this when you first had a role where you learned that showing up on time is important, or how to budget money you earned from hard work? Maybe there was a co- worker or supervisor who mentored you and stayed in touch with you. Louisville Bar Association leadership recognized as far back as 1992 that high school is an important time in young peoples’ lives. It’s when they begin to decide what they want to be and how they want to get there. It’s a critical time in their development, and those who influence them at that stage have a profound impact. Those who open doors and create pathways for success during this stage of life make a difference. “A Pathway Forward” – the documentary premiering on October 9 at Kentucky Per- forming Arts’ Bomhard Theater – follows a sophomore class of students in the Central High School Law and Government Magnet program through their year of learning the Street Law curriculum from Joe Gutmann and Brandeis Law School students who teach for public service credit, often teaching many more hours than the required minimum. The documentary, produced by award- winning documentary producer Jesse Nesser, has two major goals. First, it celebrates the Central High School Law and Government Magnet students who succeed in this program and outperform expectations. Second, it is a call to action for others to adopt, adapt and sustain such programs in their own com- munities. There are many factors in the success of the program, including a gifted teacher, a consistently supportive Central High School administration and the participation of about 25 law students who teach in the program for sophomores, juniors and seniors each year, providing “near peers” who care about and set examples for these young people. The key administrative support of the Brandeis School of Law beginning in 2001 and the engagement of the University of Louisville Community Engagement office are also key to the story. The documentary will be a vehicle for discus- sion at legal education, bar association, high school education and other conferences and in a range of arenas to inspire others. The Louisville Bar community has been a trail- blazer for more than three decades in recog- nizing the value of connecting with high school stu- dents as a means of ensuring di- versity within the profession. Most notably, in 1992, the LBA reached out to Central High School to implement a summer internship program. Through that program, the LBA places law magnet students in summer jobs at law firms and other legal employers. During the 20 years I was involved in administering the pro- gram at the law school, I regularly surveyed the Central students each year to ask about their experience. These students highlight that the internships had a big impact on them. This is true for the Central students who go on to become lawyers and those who go on to other professions and to become active citizens. Two of the Central graduates featured in the documentary are now employed at the firms where they did internships facilitated by the LBA. Lazaro Donis Munoz at Dinsmore (now at the Chicago Dinsmore office) was a 2015 Central graduate. Demetrius Holloway (the LBA’s 2024 Trailblazer Award winner) was in the first internship program in 1992 – working at Stites & Harbison, where he is now a partner. While the summer internships have probably the greatest impact, the LBA (through the Diversity Committee) is to be applauded for including recognition of the Justice McAnulty Essay competition winners at the annual February Trailblazer Black History Month program. The LBA has also provided a prize to the overall essay contest winner of a schol- arship to its Summer Law Institute (another valuable pathway program). It is also notable that since starting the Trail- blazer of the Year award in 2001, nine of the 21 recipients have either been graduates of Central High School or connected with implementing the pathway partnership since it began. Through its Bar Briefs publica- tions, the LBA has regularly highlighted Cen- tral High School stude nts a nd the intersecting partnerships that make this such as successful program. In addition to the law school, the University of Louisville Office of Community Engagement and the LBA, important support for this pathway program comes from the Charles W. Anderson Bar Association, the ACLU of Kentucky and the Women Lawyers Association of Jefferson County. The LBA Diversity Committee has also in- cluded programming about the Central High School Law Magnet program at its Trailblazer programs. These programs inspire and rein- force the value of connections between the legal community and this historic high school law magnet program. The LBA and the LBF have been generous supporters of requests to facilitate activities related to this documentary. They agreed to al- low a “Meet the Producers” event in May 2023 in their LBA space. And they provided space in the newly renovated offices for a gathering of about 12 law school graduates who taught Street Law while they were Brandeis law students. The purpose of the gathering was for them to share how the experience affected them while they were students and afterwards for the documentary, and to hear an idea for taking Street Law to at risk young people in the community through a program initiated by Jesten Slaw, a 2022 law graduate who taught Street Law during law school. The example of how a bar association can play a critical role in these valuable pathway programs for underrepresented high school students is one that the LBA can share at national conferences. This will provide the ripple effect of other bar associations taking these ideas back to their communities. The documentary will be shown at my 50th law school reunion at Georgetown University Law Center (where Street Law began in 1972) on October 26, where I will facilitate a dis- cussion afterwards about how lawyers can participate in adopting and sustaining such programs in their communities. The financial support for the documentary from the Louisville Bar Foundation is another example of how the Louisville legal com- munity supports diversity and providing services and programs to those who are underserved. It is an unusual activity for the LBF to support through its grant program. The confidence shown by doing so is an- other demonstration of the Louisville legal community providing the tools to keep blazing the trail and clear- ing the pathway. Particular appreciation goes to LBA Executive Director Kristen Miller and LBF Executive Director Jeff Been for their leadership in making this documentary a reality. Members and leadership of the LBA and LBF should know that their trailblazing has made a difference and that it is appreciated. This will be an example of a Kentucky to the World story. Kentucky to the World has served as the fiscal sponsor for contributors and will serve as co-host for the premier. Co-hosting with KTW is Harvey Johnston III, a Bowling Green attorney who also provided major funding for the production. The Kentucky to the World mission is to elevate the cultural and intel- lectual reputation of Kentucky on the global stage. It does so by sharing compelling stories of extraordinary people with Kentucky roots through live events, television specials, digital content, collectibles, school programs, and other initiatives. Its mission makes it a perfect sponsor and host for this program. Laura Rothstein is Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. She was dean when the partnership began in 2001 with the Central High School Law and Government Magnet Program. She initiated and facilitated the production of “A Pathway Forward” documentary. n
