PRESS RELEASE: Ken Perry Law Firm, LLC Convenes Outreach Program for High School Students Interested in Legal Careers
Ken Perry Law Firm, LLC is welcoming attendees to its “Pathfinders Academy,” a program designed to introduce high school students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to the legal profession. The program’s participants are eight high school students from local schools: Woodlawn High School, Homewood High School, Wenonah High School, Huffman High School, and Ramsay High School. The Pathfinders Academy’s participants convene on Thursday afternoons at the Firm, where they have the opportunity to interact with judges, lawyers, law students and business people from the community. They also tour the various courts in the downtown area. The students learn about the requirements, benefits, and responsibilities relevant to practicing law, as well as key historical legal figures at the national and state levels. Upon completion of the program, the Firm will award each student a certificate and stipend.
The Pathfinders Academy is a part of the Firm’s comprehensive effort to ensure that all students know that the legal profession is a career option that is available to them. Representation data from organizations such as the American Bar Association, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, National Association for Law Placement and others suggests that many young people still believe legal careers are beyond their reach. This data is also reflected closer to home in Birmingham, Alabama, where in many respects women and ethnic minority lawyers are absent in various areas of the law. The Firm has been pleased with the support for the program. Thus far, the students have met with Judge Carole Smitherman and Judge Javan Patton, as well as Birmingham attorneys Tranny Arnold and Richard Rice. In addition, the students visited the City of Birmingham’s Legal Department, where Mayor Randall Woodfin and City Attorney Nicole King, among others, addressed them at length about the profession. This week the students will receive a presentation concerning key historical figures in the profession from Retired Circuit Judge Eugene Verin. “We have been encouraged by the students’ interest and their thoughtful questions about the profession,” said Sharon Hamilton Broach, who leads the program for the Firm.
Ken Perry Law Firm, LLC is a boutique litigation firm focusing on handling complex litigation—including products liability, life sciences, and catastrophic injury defense, as well as labor and employment and other commercial litigation—for business entities. The Firm prides itself in providing exceptional client service; however, it also emphasizes public service and stewardship. The Firm expects to grow adding other lawyers committed to outstanding client service and community involvement.
