3 Trial Lawyer • Summer 2022 Classroom Law Project The Classroom Law Project brings civics and law-related educational programs into Oregon schools. It has a variety of activities under its umbrella, but the program most of us are familiar with is the mock trial program. If you are looking for an opportunity to volunteer locally, being a coach to a high school mock trial team may be a great choice. Before COVID, Ron Cheng volunteered as a coach to the Jefferson High School mock trial team for several years and plans to return to coaching soon. Every high school program is different in terms of howmany coaches there are and how often or when the team meets. For Jefferson High School, for example, the mock trial team has been an afterschool program that met for an hour or two once a week for eight weeks or so. J e f f e r s o n Hi g h S c h o o l h a s a diverse student body with many students having no attorney in their circle of acquaintances. Cheng spoke enthusiastically about the students he worked with and what he learned from them. He spoke of their creativity, their idealism and their hopefulness. His favorite things were seeing students come up with sound arguments that he would not have conceived and seeing them develop confidence. Rhett Fraser coaches a mock trial team with fellow OTLA member Barb Long at Wilson High School. He recommends coaching to other attorneys. He says it makes him a better lawyer. “If you can teach a hearsay objection to high school students, you understand it.” Fraser also recognizes this is a way lawyers can build a legacy — putting seeds in the ground and growing our future lawyers. For those who do not have the time to coach or assistant coach a high school mock trial team, consider being a judge at the mock trial competitions. Reaching out to law students OTLA has made an increased effort these last several years to engage with law students at Oregon’s three law schools. It is our goal to let law students know about the rewarding work our members do and welcome and support young lawyers of all backgrounds. For example, this past fall, several board members attended the Multicultural Law Student weekend at the University of Oregon Law School. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet law students and to share what we do as trial lawyers. It is a yearly event, and includes a social, dinner and football tailgater. Any OTLA member who would like to attend this event or others like it at the other law schools, please keep an eye out for the List Serv postings or reach out to me. Individual OTLA members have also dedicated time and energy in mentoring law students. This is an opportunity for our members to provide support and direction to local law students on an individual basis. It is not just our more experienced members who should consider themselves as qualified to be mentors. There is a plus to be a newer lawyer mentor. A newer attorney is closer to the experience of law school. They have a better memory of the rigors of law school, the challenges of balancing work and life, and the professors to seek out for classes. Suzanne Johnson, an associate at our firm and a 2019 graduate of Willamette Law School, began as a mentor to fellow law students one year out of law school. She is now a mentor to two Willamette Law students and to one University of Oregon law student. Johnson says she is matched up with a law student in September and from that point forward she tries to spend about one to two hours a month connecting with them as their schedules allow. She usually gets together with her mentees in October for a casual get together, like going to a pumpkin patch or meeting for tea or coffee. She later meets with them closer to finals in November to talk about test preparation. Over the course of the mentorship, she talks with her mentees about class selection, job searches and real-life problems. She helps them prepare for first year appellate arguments and mock trial competitions. She shared with me that students are not taught how to draft a direct examination in class and she can provide that real world support. Listening to her, I thought, “I wish I had a Suzanne Johnson as a mentor in law school.” Johnson had her own influential attorney mentor as a law student, OTLA member Wes Gracia, and they continue to remain in contact. Offering help together Muhammad Ali said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”There is not enough space here to tell the stories of each of you, of each OTLA volunteer, and the service you have given. We are defined by our careers to want to help others. We are highly educated, motivated and with access to resources not available to others. I am thankful to each of you for the good work you do. Lara Johnson is a shareholder in the Corson & Johnson Law Firm. She specializes in mo t o r veh i c l e c o l l i s i on s , nur s ing home abuse and neglect, and medical negligence. She contributes to the OTLA Guardians of Civil Justice at the Guardians Club Level. Her office is located at 940 Willamette St., Ste. 500, Eugene OR 97401. She can be reached at 541-4842525 or ljohnson@corsonjohnsonlaw.com.
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