LUBBOCK- While the cultural and economic background of Texas is changing at a rapid
rate, the demographics making up Texans who attend law school is alarmingly stagnant.
But thanks to a partnership with the Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock
Estacado High School students wishing to pursue a career in law have an extra resource
available to them to do just that.
The new five-year partnership between the School of Law and the Estacado High School
Law and Justice Magnet Program intends to provide additional educational resources
and help guide students toward their goals of attending law school.
“Our goal is to make sure there is a track available early on in a student’s career
that will allow them to pursue a career in law,” said School of Law Dean Walter Huffman.
“Many times, students are finding that preparing for law school is something that
needs to begin long before college.”
Beginning this year, Texas Tech law faculty and students will help prepare Estacado
High students for competition in mock trials and other scholarly competitions by converting
the high school’s current law magnet classroom into a courtroom and library space.
In addition, retired volumes of legal publications will be turned over to the high
school.
Estacado High School Principal Paul Frazier said the partnership is expected to dramatically
increase the exposure students have to School of Law faculty, staff and students.
“It’s important that our students become familiar with what is expected of them in
college and in law school,” he said. “There is no better way to prepare them for this
than to expose them to lessons, mock trials, publications, and experts as early on
as possible. It makes the idea far less daunting if they already have a relationship
with the experience and with the school.”
Amy Jarmon, assistant dean of the School of Law, helped coordinate the partnership.
“We have found that there are a number of students in the Lubbock area who have demonstrated
an early interest in pursuing careers in law, and their tenure in high school is a
critical time for our faculty and staff to reach out to them and make sure they have
the resources and expertise available to achieve this,” said Amy Jarmon, assistant
dean for Academic Success Programs of the Texas Tech University School of Law.
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CONTACT: Amy Jarmon, assistant dean, Texas Tech University School of Law, (806) 742-3791,
or amy.jarmon@ttu.edu
Stacy Caviel-Watson, magnet specialist, Estacado High School, (806) 766–1400, or swatson@lubbockisd.org
Paul Frazier, principal, Estacado High School, (806) 766–1400, or pfrazier@lubbockisd.org