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GIRL SCOUT PROJECT LAW TRACK 2017
Introducing Girl Scouts to the
Field of Law
I
t’s that time of year again when the
CBA’s Alliance for Women and the
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and
Northwest Indiana are gearing up for the
seventh Project LawTrack Program, which
will be held from March 2-18. The pro-
gram consists of a series of three dynamic
interactive evening sessions designed to
introduce Girl Scouts to the field of law
that will culminate in a half-day mock trial
on March 18 in the Federal Courthouse in
downtown Chicago.
The program introduces girls to the
many different opportunities that a legal
career can offer, demystifying the por-
trayal of lawyers as seen on television and
in the movies, and providing girls with
the experience of stepping into the shoes
of a trial attorney to prepare a case for a
mock trial and try it before a real judge in
a Federal courtroom. Since the very first
Project LawTrack in 2011, Judge Rebecca
R. Pallmeyer, United States District Court
for the Northern District of Chicago, has
graciously allowed the mock trial to take
place in her courtroom. To participate in
Project LawTrack, girls 6
th
grade and older
are required to complete an application, for
which approximately thirty-five girls are
chosen on a first come, first served basis.
The girls must also sign a written commit-
ment pledging to dedicate the necessary
time to the program.
To fulfill the goals of the program,
Project Law Track is looking for female
attorneys who would be interested in serv-
ing as mentors throughout the three week
program. We would like to partner each
participant with a female attorney who will
work with her during the program, with
particular emphasis on helping her prepare
for her role in the mock trial, which is the
capstone of the program. Ideally, each
female attorney volunteer would attend all
four sessions of Project Law Track but at a
minimummust be able to attend the mock
trial prep session on Thursday evening,
March 16, 2017, and be in attendance to
The dates and sessions for the 2017 Girl Scouts Project Law Track Program are:
Session 1:
Law (As Seen on TV): Thursday March 2, 5:30-7:30 pm, Skadden Arps, 155 NWacker Dr.,
Suite 2700
Session 2:
Law School/Career Day: Thursday, March 9, 5:30–7:30 pm, Chicago-Kent School of Law,
565W. Adams Street
Session 3:
Prepare Your Case! Thursday, March 16, 5:30–7:30 pm, Seyfarth Shaw, 131 S. Dearborn
Street, 24th Floor,
Session 4:
Try Your Case! Saturday, March 18, 9:00 am–2:00 pm, Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse,
219 S. Dearborn Street
If youare interested involunteering,
please contact Erica Byrd, Garfield
& Merel, at 312/288-0104 or via
email at
byrd@garfield-merel.com.
We will work with you to partner
you with a participant as soon as
they have beendetermined in early
2017. And we promise you it will be
a rewarding experience! Thank you
in advance for your consideration.
support her mentee at the mock trial on
Saturday, March 18, 2017.
Attorneys who volunteer have an oppor-
tunity to meet and work with other tal-
ented attorneys from diverse backgrounds
and interests connected by the shared desire
to give of their time, advice, knowledge,
and insights to girls who may be planning
a career as an attorney or who are just
curious about the field of law. In turn, the
girls will broaden their understanding of
what it means to be an attorney, experi-
ence the possibilities that are available to
them by working side-by-side with female
role models, interact with their peers and
attorneys in preparing for a mock trial,
and learn that there are women who care
and want to help them explore their future
career options.
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JANUARY 2017