Monday, December 26, 2011

Philadelphia’s Students Explore Careers in Law

The District Attorney wanted to afford aspiring lawyers and paralegals the chance to learn about careers in law and to gain exposure to how the criminal justice system functions – so in 2010 he established an Explorer Post here at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

For those of you who may not be familiar with “Exploring,” an Explorer Post is a work site based program that allows young people ages 14 to 20 an opportunity to experience their career choices first hand. The legal profession ranked number four out of the top 20 career choices of Philadelphia students. As part of the program, students complete a public service project with a message that they take back to their schools. Last year’s student projects were a huge success. One of the highlights was this anti-bullying video created by Central High School students.

Students also attend lectures on the criminal justice system and gain mock trial experience. Our most recent session taught students about preliminary hearings and how prosecutors deal with uncooperative witnesses. This is my first year helping out with the program and I am excited to be working with such an impressive and ambitious group of students.

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