Evergreen's Frist Law School

Recently the new District Attorney Rowan Somerset along with other members of the DOJ have announced a new law school to teach citizens and new prospects within the DOJ more about our cities laws.

This reporter wanted to get further information on the new school and what it all entails. We sat down with DA Sommerset to get some valuable information as seen below:

Question 1.

What motivated you to start a law school and what is your vision with it going forward?

I have always had a passion for teaching and law, this opportunity will allow me to combine the two. I, along with my colleagues ADA Issabella Dior and the Honourable Judge Otis Rivers, have loved being able to teach and help our colleagues as they have progressed through their careers and so we wanted to be able to bring that passion to the rest of the citizens of Evergreen County. We would really love to use this as an opportunity to inspire any future lawyers and instill the same passion we have, empowering people to be able to understand the law better. We have seen the love that people have had for increasing access to education, and that there have been several successful classes / programs taught in the county before and wanted to give citizens a new educational pathway to choose if they wish. 

Question 2.

Is this law school open to anyone interested or do they have to be part of a government department?

The Law School will be open to everyone to apply to, though any and all members of any current governmental departments are also more than welcome to join. We want to be able to empower every citizen to feel more confident with understanding the laws and constitution that govern our country. As it will also not be a job, our law school will be open to all citizens regardless of background or criminal record as we believe that the opportunity should not be limited by past choices - everyone has the right to pursue the path that they wish to, after all many successful lawyers started learning more about the law in prison. 

Question 3.

What key areas will you be emphasizing with the school? Will you primarily focus on criminal? If so, will you mainly focus on prosecuting or defense work? Will you also look into civil law as well in the school?

At this stage, the curriculum is still being decided and will likely be developed using focus groups of people who have expressed their interest in applying. Practicing and understanding law is such a broad area to learn and so we want to be able to focus on what will both be practical for our prospective students and also what is relevant to them. That is not to say that if a particular area isn’t brought up it won’t be covered, we would still be able to hold smaller or singular sessions on these areas. For example, as District Attorney, my main areas of work are criminal prosecution and defense, however we have multiple lawyers who have carried out extensive work in civil and contract law as well as our judges who preside over every case brought to the Department of Justice, meaning we have a wealth of experience to be able to draw from to tailor the curriculum to the citizen’s needs and desires for what they want out of their education. 

Question 4.

What type of experimental learning will you be using in the school? Is mock trials going to be a standard practice? If so would these trials be open to the public?

Content will be taught through a variety of lectures, seminars, workshops and where possible mock trials as well. Our lectures will be able to convey the information that our curriculum will focus on, with our seminars designed to follow on from these and provide a space for our students to be able to ask questions they have from the lectures, with some extra taught content where necessary. Our workshops will allow our students to practice their skills, for example writing and delivering opening statements, or writing up contracts to really be able to apply their learning and understand what it means and is like to practice law. We would love to have our students participate in mock trials, as being in a courtroom in front of a judge is something we recognise can be extremely anxiety inducing, this way we can try to reduce some of that worry and fear and demonstrate their learning. However, to ensure that our students do not get overwhelmed, it is unlikely that our mock trials will be open to the public to view as we wouldn’t want them to be put off during them or even risk people not applying out of worry regarding it. 

Question 5.

What career prospects do students of the school have to look forward to after finishing?

After finishing, our students will be empowered with the legal knowledge that they have gained and be able to apply this further. For example, my path in law started as the Director of Legal for a security company before moving into the Department of Justice. It allowed me to implement my knowledge (especially surrounding contract law) and seek legal counsel where necessary and help the business grow and develop. There is also the opportunity for our students to apply for a job within the Department of Justice when applications are open, allowing them to make an informed decision with their career whilst also helping them feel more confident to do so. 

Question 6.

Does it cost to get into the school itself? Along with this how do you hope to attract and maintain high quality teachers at the school?

Fees for the law school are something that are still being internally discussed as we want to provide students with the best education opportunities possible whilst supporting our licensed attorneys and judges who will be teaching. It is a very delicate balance as we want our law school to be as accessible as possible to all. Our teachers however will all be licensed attorneys (either private or hired by the Department of Justice) and judges who are passionate about teaching our country's future lawyers.

-DA Somerset

All this is great information to hear, knowing this we hope to help the law school gain more attention. We were given a pamphlet to help show off what the school shows off entails along with positions within our own department of justice.

In conclusion, Evergreen County's first law school represents a significant step toward enhancing legal education and empowering its citizens. With a focus on accessibility, practical learning. Hopefully this is the first of many schools to open to help people specialize into different career avenues.