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COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT The HBA/CIS Summer Legal Internship Program By Angela L. Dixon The HBA Communities in Schools Committee is the result of a partnership between the Houston Bar Association and Communities In Schools Houston (CIS), a non-profit organization established in 1979 to provide support services to at-risk youth. The CIS program offers numerous services to youth, including peer support, help with homework, grief support and job placement, among other things. To date, CIS has served more than 37,000 students. The Communities in Schools Committee helped to establish the Summer Legal Internship Program, which provided the opportunity for high school students to participate in an eight-week program in Houston with law firms, corporations and government offices. The committee was co-chaired by Christina Bryan of Smyser, Kaplan & Veselka LLP and Bill Kroger of Baker Botts L.L.P. The program ran from June 2-August 8, 2009. The CIS Legal Internship originally began in the early 1990s; however this new partnership has revitalized the program. Bryan said HBA President Barrett H. Reasoner selected CIS as a focus issue for his term. “He was aware of the CIS program because his firm employed students in previous years,” Bryan said, “so he thought it would be a great program to participate in.” The 16-member committee helped to facilitate the program through four subcommittees: Recruiting (solicited law firms and government agencies to sponsor luncheons and programs); Training (helped CIS develop training for the employers and helps determine what jobs are appropriate for the students); Programming (arranged for speakers to address the students and serve as volunteers for the student mock trial); and Evaluation (evaluated the program at the end of the eight-week session). This year, the program was funded partly by stimulus money CIS received through a grant summer work program through the Houston Galveston Council. Students who worked for governmental agencies were paid from the grant money, while others were paid by the law firms and legal departments. A total of 48 students were placed this year. “These students are high achievers academically and have goals of going to college, but they come from schools that are at risk,” Bryan said. “This program exposed them to what it’s like working in a professional environment.” According to Bryan, at law firms, students performed a variety of assignments, including working in the copy and mail rooms, working in the libraries, performing general office work, and assisting with organizational and special projects. At the District Clerk’s office, students worked in a variety of offices including intake, where they learned the ins and outs of lawsuit filings and how they moved through the court system. The students also participated in weekly enrichment luncheons on various topics. A list of the speakers appears below. Prof. David Dow Hon. Jennifer Walker Elrod Adrian Garcia Hon. Vanessa Gilmore Assistant Dean Reginald Green Rusty Hardin Loren Jackson Hon. Steven Kirkland William (Bill) Kroger Leslie Paley Steve Poerschke Hon. Josefina Rendon Hon. R.K. Sandill Associate Dean Gena Singleton
Also below is a list of firms and agencies that participated as employers in the CIS Summer Legal Intern Program. Bryan encourages any firms or agencies interested in participating next year to contact her at CBryan@SKV.com. Abrams, Scott & Bickley LLP Andrews Kurth LLP Baker & Hostetler LLP Baker Botts L.L.P. Bracewell & Giuliani LLP CenterPoint Energy Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall PC Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P. Gooden & Gooden Harris County District Attorney’s Office Harris County District Clerk’s Office Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program Jones Day King & Spaulding L.L.P. Law Office of Rusty Hardin Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP Lone Star Legal Aid Smyser, Kaplan & Veselka LLP South Texas College of Law Susman Godfrey LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP Angela L. Dixon is a solo practitioner and practices in the areas of wills, probate, and Social Security Disability law, and serves as an ad litem in civil matters. She is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.
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