Women lawyers hope to build legacy
A group of 20 middle- and high-school girls, aspiring to have careers in law, were
exposed to those already practicing in the field Tuesday.
The Tallahassee Women Lawyers hosted a daylong event called the Legacy of Excellence
Law Day Program. It was sponsored by The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.
Justices and attorneys talked to them about different areas, and they toured law
firms in the city. They also got to participate in a mock trial and make a visit
to the Supreme Court.
June McKinney, the Tallahassee Women Lawyers chair, and ShaRon James, the organization's
president, created the program to replace their other activities for Law Day. The
theme for 2007 is "Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy."
Both McKinney and James agree that it has been a tremendous success.
"We have girls who completed the program and are now in college planning to
go to law school and they keep in touch," McKinney said. "Some girls ...
choose the area they want to work in after coming here."
Romina Sameri, a junior at Chiles High School, said she wants to be a criminal-defense
lawyer and hopes to get an externship with a firm during her senior year in high
school.
"It's just great that I get to figure out what I want to do now so when I go
to college I don't waste as much time," she said.
Anber Little, a sophomore at North Florida Christian, said she wants to become a
lawyer representing people with disabilities like her mother. She said she has learned
that "a lot of people are really cruel to disabled people. I want to actually
help people who need it."
"The reason we call it Legacy of Excellence is because we are creating a legacy
of women in the profession," James said. "They're the people that will
carry on after we are retired or gone."