Fitting Together the Pieces to Create a Pipeline for Success
NJ LEEP programs are designed to build skills and character. They are also designed to work together holistically to support the academic growth of the students they serve in all areas.
Moreover, NJ LEEP recognizes through its programs the need to work over a prolonged period in a sustained manner with individual students. We feel a responsibility to not only excite students about learning, but to make sure they have access to quality skill-building programs over a period of years. We thus seek, for the most part, to begin working with students in their eighth grade year and continue our support of them until they graduate high school and continue beyond into college and graduate school.
Summer Law Institute
Rising ninth graders participate every summer in July and August in a five week, five day a week, criminal law course taught by law students from the Seton Hall University School of Law and other law schools. Each day begins with a guest speaker who is an attorney, judge, or law professor. There are also weekly field trips to law firms, courthouses, and public interest legal organizations. The Institute culminates in a mock trial competition in front of sitting New Jersey judges.
The Summer Law Institute introduces students into the NJ LEEP culture, excites them about learning, exposes them to the possibility of becoming a lawyer, and begins the skill building process. After completing the summer session, participants are invited to apply for NJ LEEP’s four-year college bound program.
Interviews for admission to the Summer Law Institute begin in February of students’ eighth grade year. For information on how to apply, call (973) 242-0951 or email us at info@njleep.org.
SLI Coordinators
NJ LEEP seeks exceptional law students interested in law-related education to coordinate and teach at the Summer Law Institute held at Seton Hall Law. Coordinators will work with an attorney supervisor to prepare for the Institute during the month of June by participating in an experimental classroom training program on educational methodology, developing lesson plans on substantive criminal law topics and trial advocacy skills, and organizing an itinerary of guest speakers and field trip visits. Coordinators will then implement the five-week Institute and teach law sessions of two classes of 25 students, fulfilling the objectives of the Institute through a set schedule of classes, events, speakers and trips. Coordinators will be paid a stipend for the 10-week internship.
College Bound Program
Upon successful completion of the Summer Law Institute, students can apply to the College-Bound Program. This intensive four-year program, facilitated in conjunction with Seton Hall Law School, is designed to build skills in writing and reading comprehension, improve grades, prepare students for the SATs and enable students to gain acceptance to top colleges and universities. Students also participate in exciting activities such as retreats, trips to colleges, and leadership activities, and benefit from a supportive, safe and hands-on learning environment with professionals who are dedicated to excellence.
Law-Related Education
In addition to their stringent College-Bound Program responsibilities, LEEP Students in grades 10-12 participate in the following law-related programs during the school year:
Constitutional Law Debate Program: Students read and analyze fact patterns, prepare written briefs and present arguments of cases at Seton Hall Law School.
Mentoring Program: Each student is paired up with a mentor who is a working attorney in the local community.
Summer Internship Program: Students are placed at law firms for several weeks and have the opportunity to work in a professional setting and earn stipends.
Community Law Project
In partnership with the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School, NJ LEEP visits middle and high schools to teach lessons on criminal and constitutional law, and the legal system throughout NJ.