An Elon Law, Say Yes Guilford partnership in which law students will help to address legal needs of Guilford County school students and their families was featured Oct. 27 by the News & Record and Nov. 2 by the High Point Enterprise.
“Students at the Elon University School of Law will work with local attorneys to offer legal counseling services for families through Say Yes Guilford,” the News & Record reports. “The university will provide students to complete intake and analysis of cases, said Margaret Robison Kantlehner, associate professor of law and director of externships for Elon. They will also work with volunteer lawyers to advise families of students in Guilford County Schools as needed, she said.”
“We’re excited,” Kantlehner said. “It’s nice to bring students into the community to meet the clients and do some good work.”
“Elon Law’s partnership with Say Yes Guilford aligns with our mission to serve as a hub of learning, lawyering and leadership,” said Elon Law Dean Luke Bierman. “Elon Law students are eager to be involved in the transformative work of Say Yes Guilford, and we as an institution are fully committed to this exciting partnership.”
“Jason Pruett, an Elon Law student graduating in May 2017, said he has been waiting for this sort of project since he started law school,” the High Point Enterprise reports. “’I was a public school teacher for five years before I came to law school, so I came with the desire to eventually pay back to the public school system,’ he said.”
“Pruett said the program would not only help him and his classmates gain experience working with clients and legal knowledge, but will also give them the chance to help kids,” the High Point Enterprise article reports. “’Law school is very theoretical and one thing I love about Elon Law is they’re so focused on giving us, as students, a more practical experience and this just fits in with that,’ he said. ‘This not only allows us to help Guilford County families, but it also gives us that practical experience that is essential to our own education.’”
Say Yes Guilford launched on Sept. 17, 2015 to support Guilford County school students with last-dollar tuition scholarships and to support students and their families with a range of services. At the time of Say Yes Guilford’s launch, nearly half of the funds needed to fully support the initiative’s endowment — $70 million — had already been raised through the support of philanthropic leaders in the region.
Elon University School of Law is leading innovation in legal education by integrating traditional classroom instruction with highly experiential full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of professional preparation. This unique approach to legal education provides graduates with the knowledge, skills and ethics focus necessary to excel as 21st century lawyers. Designed to accelerate professional maturation, Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in two and one-half years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their professional careers. Learn more at law.elon.edu.