NHBA Seeks Attorneys for August 15 Street Law Training, School Partnership Pilot

By Tom Jarvis

The New Hampshire Bar Association is launching a new civic education initiative this summer – and it needs attorneys to make it a success.

On August 15, the NHBA Civics and Law Outreach Program will host a Street Law training course at the Bar Center in Concord, and is seeking attorneys to partner with high school teachers for the upcoming school year. The goals are to teach law-related content in local classrooms, mentor students, and foster long-term connections between schools and the legal community.

Leading the training will be Lee Arbetman, longtime executive director of Street Law, Inc. and a key architect of the modern civic education movement.

“Lawyers aren’t just making a one-off visit,” says Arbetman, a co-author of the widely used Street Law: A Course in Practical Law textbook. “They’re becoming part of a team – with the teacher, with the students – and that’s where the real impact happens.”

What Is Street Law?

          Street Law, Inc. is a national nonprofit that began in the early 1970s as a student-led initiative at Georgetown Law. What started as a pilot program in DC public schools – teaching practical law through interactive lessons – has since evolved into a global civics education movement. Today, Street Law is active in all 50 states and more than 40 countries, and its high school textbook is now in its 11^th edition.

Samantha Bravar, a teacher at Prospect Mountain High School, first trained with Street Law 11 years ago during an intensive summer program in Washington, DC, and says the program has “had a tremendous impact” on her students.
“All their lessons, handouts, and resources on their website helped build and shape the civics class that I taught for years,” Bravar says. “The textbook is so accessible for high school students to understand the legal system, and the teacher resource book offers even more ways to bring those concepts to their level.”
Bravar now teaches a class called Street Law, using the textbook and full mock trial unit as core parts of the curriculum.

The program’s foundation is simple but powerful: teach “practical law” – law that affects people’s daily lives – using student-centered, participatory methods. Instead of lectures, students take part in mock trials, negotiations, and other hands-on legal scenarios.

“Knowing the law is good but knowing how to use it – developing those skills – is even better. And people develop skills by doing,” says Arbetman, a graduate of George Washington University Law School and adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

August 15 Training

          The upcoming training, organized by NHBA Civics and Law Outreach Coordinator Martha Madsen, will bring together teachers and attorneys for an afternoon of team building and planning. Teachers will attend a full day of sessions, with lawyers joining in the late afternoon for an orientation and pairing.

Each attorney will be matched with a teacher and asked to commit to three “touchpoints” during the school year:

1. Two classroom visits, co-teaching or leading a student activity;
2. One field experience, such as accompanying students to court, the State House, or a law office; and
3. Periodic availability to help answer questions or consult on New Hampshire legal topics.

Madsen says the aim is to foster longer-term relationships between schools and the legal community, not just drop-in guest appearances.

“This isn’t about doing one lesson and leaving,” she says. “It’s about showing up more than once, getting to know the students, and letting them see that law and justice are real life.”

She adds that Street Law is especially valuable in New Hampshire, where school districts have considerable autonomy over curriculum.

“Street Law’s materials are flexible and adaptable,” says Madsen. “It works well for college-bound students or non-college-bound students – really anyone.”

Why Lawyers Should Get Involved

          Street Law’s impact can be hard to measure, but its advocates say the benefits are tangible for students and volunteers alike.

Arbetman emphasizes the unique influence lawyers can have by modeling professionalism, breaking down complex legal ideas, and encouraging students to consider law-related careers.

Attorney Charla Stevens, a former Street Law volunteer, agrees.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the Street Law program as we worked with students to expose them to how the law intersects with life,” she says. “They were engaged and interested as they learned to navigate the realities of securing a loan to purchase a car, addressing sexual harassment at work, and starting a small business.”

Madsen notes that many teachers have signed up for the training and are excited about the opportunity, but more attorney volunteers are still needed.

“We have 16 teachers signed up already,” she says. “We have high lawyer interest, but we still need a few more volunteers. We really want to match all of them.”

Donna Morin, a law and government teacher at Alvirne High School, says having a lawyer in her classroom “changed the entire dynamic” of her class.
“[The lawyer] came in as a guest speaker, worked with students as they formulated their case theory and witness questions, and acted as a lawyer in our mock trial,” Morin says. “It would have been impossible for us to start a mock trial team without her, and it encouraged students to choose my law elective.”

A Model That Works

          For Arbetman, who spent more than 45 years leading Street Law’s growth, the lawyer-teacher partnership model is what sets the program apart.

“Teachers are already covering history and government,” he says. “But law is often unfamiliar territory – and having a lawyer in the classroom gives students real-world insight they wouldn’t otherwise get.”

He adds that good partnerships allow each side to do what they do best: teachers manage the pedagogy, and lawyers bring their legal experience and community connection. The result is a civics program that’s not only flexible and relevant, but also deeply engaging.

“This isn’t a bar review,” Arbetman says. “This is about students talking, doing the thinking, and asking questions. That’s how they really learn.”

Interested attorneys should contact Madsen at mmadsen@nhbar.org or (603) 715-3259 to register for the August 15 training and be paired with a teacher.