Editor’s Message
Give a Kid a Helping Hand
T
here are few things in life more rewarding than helping a kid – especially one that might not have grown up with all the advantages we sometimes take for granted. Now is your opportunity to help. The C.K. McClatchy Law and Public Policy Academy is looking for attorney and law-firm volunteers to provide summer internships for students entering the 12th grade and their third and final year in the program. The academy, which was previewed last year by former SCBA President Mike Levy and is the subject of a Spring update in this issue of the Sacramento Lawyer, is part of a joint State Bar and Department of Education program designed to increase interest among at-risk students in pursuing a career in the legal profession. One of only six such law-related academies in the state, the program
hopes to stimulate interest by incorporating the law into the students’ regular curriculum and exposing them to positive role-models through the use of mentors, special guest speakers, and field trips. In only its second year of operation, sophomore enrollment (the first year students can enter) is already up 40% and test scores show the vast majority of students are on track to graduate. But now the academy wants to provide students with summer internships in order to complete their realworld experience. The goal is not only to encourage them to become lawyers and judges, but to consider a wide variety of jobs within the legal profession. According to Levy, academy students can perform a variety of tasks, including filing, photocopying, and answering phones. Sometimes all a kid needs to reach their potential is a little encourage-
ment -- someone to tell them they can do it and all things are possible if you’re willing to work. The kids aren’t looking for a handout; just someone to give them a chance. If you’re interested in providing a summer internship this year or want more information, please contact Karen Maxwell at 916-874-5834 or maxwellk@sacda.org or Sonia Fernandes at 916-327-1114 or sfernandes@dmhc.ca.gov You never know. Maybe the kid you give a job this summer will turn out to become a supreme court justice. It’s happened before.
SCBA Interim EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mary J. Burroughs OFFICERS Bruce Timm - President Stacy Moak - 1st Vice President BJ Susich - 2nd Vice President Angela Lai - Secretary Treasurer EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jack Laufenberg - jclaufenberg@prodigy.net STAFF EDITOR Heather Cline Hoganson SACRAMENTO LAWYER POLICY COMMITTEE Samson R. Elsbernd Helene Friedman David Graulich Coral Henning Yoshinori H.T. Himel Jack Laufenberg COURTHOUSE STEPS steps@sacbar.org
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SACRAMENTO LAWYER MARCH/APRIL 2013
DESIGN AND PUBLISHING Mary J. Burroughs (916) 564-3780 mburroughs@sacbar.org SURFING FROM RIVER CITY Coral Henning (916) 874-6013 chenning@saclaw.org ADVERTISING SALES Mary J. Burroughs (916) 564-3780 x206 mburroughs@sacbar.org EVENTS - MEMBER CLASSIFIED ADS (916) 564-3780 x200 reception@sacbar.org
By Jack Laufenberg
BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIRECTORS AT LARGE Sonia Fernandes David Graulich Susan Hill Jason Jasmine Jeannie Lee Jones Katie Patterson William Schuetz Mark Slaughter Sabrina Thomas SACRAMENTO LAW FOUNDATION Stephen Duvernay, saclawfoundation.org
AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVES Asian Bar Association (ABAS) Kara Ueda Barristers’ Club Monica Hans Capitol City Trial Lawyers Jack Vetter Federal Bar Association Breann Moebius LaRaza Michael Terhorst Leonard M. Friedman Bar Association Jeff Levine Saint Thomas More Society of Sacramento (STMS) Herb Bolz Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians (SacLegal) Jeff Edwards South Asian Bar Association Tej Grewal Wiley Manuel Bar Association Alana Mathews