Hunton Hosts NALP/Street Law Program, Gives New York Students Practice Insights

NEW YORK — Students from The Urban Assembly School for Law & Justice, a small public high school in Brooklyn, spent December 15 at Hunton & Williams LLP with more than 30 lawyers, paralegals and staff from the firm’s New York office to gain an inside view of the practice of law. The day of learning was part of the firm’s participation, for the third year in a row, in the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program.

As part of the day’s agenda, students explored First Amendment issues, while debating a school policy on employment discrimination; prepared and simulated a Supreme Court argument that dealt with warrantless cell phone searches and the Fourth Amendment; and attended a career seminar. Prior to the event, teams of Hunton lawyers traveled to the school to teach the students about the relevant issues.

“We had so much fun working with the students, many of whom seemed very interested in the possibility of becoming lawyers,” said Anthony Bonan, a senior attorney on the real estate team who organized this year’s event in conjunction with Joy Dingle from Street Law, Inc. and Kia Turner from The Urban Assembly School for Law & Justice. “I’m very proud of our lawyers and staff and applaud their enthusiastic support of this year’s program.”

New York real estate partners Matthew A. Scoville and Brett L. Gross have taken a lead role in coordinating the program over the last three years. Scoville added: “We truly enjoy the opportunity to teach young people in our community about the law and legal profession and to give them a glimpse of the many opportunities that exist in our profession.” Gross noted: “It was a rewarding experience for everyone at the firm who participated.”

The New York real estate team has taken a particular interest in managing this program, with many of the team’s 31 lawyers taking part. Hunton’s New York real estate team, which was established five years ago, has experienced an incredible growth trajectory and hopes to expand its participation in the NALP/Street Law program as it continues to grow.

The NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program connects law firms with diverse groups of high school students to teach them about the law and legal careers, encourage them to pursue legal careers, and offer them support in that pursuit.