16 Area High Schools Meet the Legal Community at Legal Expo 2008

Minneapolis (2-27-08): -- Educating and inspiring teens about the law was the goal of the twelfth annual Legal Expo, which was held Tuesday, February 26, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center.  This free event, sponsored annually by the Hennepin County and Ramsey County Bar Associations, features volunteer attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, and other legal professionals leading educational sessions designed for high school students.

Students and teachers from 16 area schools––traditional and non-traditional, public and private––attended this year’s Legal Expo.  Teachers have responded enthusiastically to the Legal Expo over the years because of its ability to make the legal system “come to life” for their classes.

Officers from the New Hope Police Department’s K-9 Unit opened the program, introducing students to the role of police dogs in law enforcement.  Then, each hour throughout the morning students chose from three concurrent seminars.  Students actively participated in discussions during the following sessions:

• Crime Scene Investigation

• Parties, Drugs, and Alcohol: What the Law Says

• Real World Law for Teens: Understanding Employment, Contracts, and Consumer Fraud

• Internet Law: Do’s, Don’ts, and Cautions

• School Rules: What’s the Law, and What Are Your Rights?

• Family Law and Teens

• Careers in the Law

• Wrongful Convictions in the Criminal Justice System

• You Be the Judge

The Hennepin County Bar Association provides a wide range of resources for the community, including a speakers bureau of volunteer attorneys; Legal Stuff  – a 64 page booklet for teens; and the Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

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