Philadelphia students get head start on a legal career in city's Law Pathway program
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A local law firm is mentoring the next generation of lawyers.
At Lincoln High School, two aspiring attorneys are learning that being a lawyer is more than what it appears to be on TV.
Lincoln High School teacher Rachel Newman is always inundated with questions from her students about the legal profession.
"They all want to know how much a lawyer makes," Newman said. "They think it's all trial all the time."
Juniors Jayden Everett and Kamaya Gillis are part of the School District of Philadelphia's law and mentorship program called Law Pathway.
Although the law program has been around for decades, this is the first time the Penn Carey Law School and Troutman Pepper Law Firm are partnering with the program.
"They get the chance to go to law school, meet with law students, interact with lawyers across a variety of fields," Newman said.
Everett hopes to be an attorney in family court.
"You get to advocate for other people who may not be able to do it themselves," Everett said.
Gillis is passionate about immigration law.
"People come from different backgrounds and they don't have the opportunities that they have at their original homes that they have here in America," Gillis said. "I realize how blessed I am to have those opportunities."
Newman says at the end of this program, her students are prepared to decide if they will continue to pursue law or just as important be an upstanding citizen.
"They can do anything," Newman said. "These students are incredible and they can do anything. I hope they know that."
