{"id":7158,"date":"2020-03-13T12:43:16","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T16:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/?page_id=74390"},"modified":"2025-12-03T19:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T19:22:40","slug":"early-outreach-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/early-outreach-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Outreach Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our Early Outreach Initiative is designed to develop awareness of the legal field and encourage interest in the legal profession among high school students who might not have otherwise had exposure to it.\u00a0 Through workshops, mentorship, and campus visits, we provide resources and guidance to help students explore legal careers and understand the law school admissions process early in their academic journeys.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_95120\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CukOiNHqsyQ?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=1&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Starting the Law School Conversation &#8212; in High School<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7154\" src=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Legal Prep Charter Academy participant by computer.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-740x555.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-980x735.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-1220x915.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/P1410508-1-1.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Why should one of the nation\u2019s top law schools reach out to high school students? Because for many lawyers, the idea of going to law school first took root <i>while they were high school students<\/i>. The Association of American Law Schools surveyed thousands of law students about when and how they first considered the idea of law school. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aals.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/BJDReportsHghlights.pdf\">Results<\/a> showed that the seeds were often planted early. Most law students had first considered law school before college. (And over a third had first considered law school before high school.) In most cases, going to law school requires <i>early, pre-college exposure to the idea of law school<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Through the Early Outreach Initiative, Georgetown Law\u2019s Dean of Admissions Andy Cornblatt and his law students are providing just those kinds of connections to high school students \u2014 putting law school on their radar, introducing high school students to the idea of a legal career, and building long-lasting relationships.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>How the Early Outreach Initiative Works<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Georgetown Law directly partners with dozens of high schools across the country, from coast to coast and in big cities and rural counties. At each of these high schools, Georgetown Law hosts programming with students three times during their senior year, and provides opportunities for mentorship at the conclusion of the program.<\/p>\n<p>During the first phase of the program current Georgetown Law students talk with the students, and share their stories of how they got to law school.\u00a0 During these sessions, Dean Cornblatt also offers an introduction to the practice of law and law school. \u201cDean Cornblatt is a dynamic speaker,\u201d says Didier Jean-Baptiste, dean of seniors and college placement at St. Benedict\u2019s Preparatory School in Newark, and his visit \u201csparked an interest in law school among [students] who attended his presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the second phase of the program, Georgetown Law alumni Zoom with the same group of high schools and share their varied professional paths and life after law school.<\/p>\n<p>During the third phase of the program, Georgetown Law plays host at its \u201cHigh School Law Days,\u201d where students participate in law-related activities, including discussing legal hypotheticals.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7155 size-medium alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-500x375.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-740x555.jpeg 740w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-980x735.jpeg 980w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-1220x915.jpeg 1220w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Georgetow-Law-School_Project-1000_Dean-Cornblatt-speaking-with-St.-Benedicts-Class-of-2020-students2-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And this program is just the start. Georgetown Law is connecting participating high school seniors with attorneys from around the country to serve as mentors and points of contact, giving these students guides and advisers during their college years, and further helping them prepare for law school. As one high school senior from Legal Prep Charter Academy remarks, the Early Outreach Initiative is about \u201clifelong connections that may open up doors in the future for me.\u201d Rather Stanton, Legal Prep\u2019s co-founder, agrees. \u201cLegal Prep is thrilled to partner with Georgetown\u2026 This effort will help show over a thousand diverse students each year that the legal profession needs and wants them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7157 size-medium alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-02-111140-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-02-111140-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-02-111140-735x501.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-02-111140-500x338.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-02-111140.jpg 741w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In addition to working directly with high schools, Georgetown Law also works with nonprofits from around the country who help kids get to and through college. These organizations connect Dean Cornblatt and Georgetown Law\u2019s students with the high schoolers that they serve. The law school tailors its approach to each nonprofit\u2019s needs, but the message remains the same, according to Dean Cornblatt: \u201cThere is a path from where these kids sit, right now, to being a lawyer. And we\u2019re here to explain how to navigate that path, to and through college.\u201d The nonprofits and the Early Outreach Initiative amplify one another\u2019s work. \u201cTheir focus is on getting kids to college and getting them to do well in college,\u201d says the dean. \u201cOur Early Outreach Initiative shows kids one of the places where college can take them \u2014 law school and the law!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Having now met with around thousands high school seniors across the country, Dean Cornblatt says that he is struck by their passion and interest in the law. \u201cThese kids are engaged and their interest is sparked,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat was missing before was someone reaching out to these kids, to show them the path forward, to show them that law school can be affordable and can be doable, to show them some ways to get to law school. And now they can see that path.\u201d Nor are the high schoolers the only beneficiaries.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.silive.com\/news\/2020\/01\/curtis-high-school-students-get-inside-look-at-law-school.html\">Read more about one high school\u2019s experience with our program!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Partnering with Schools<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Is your high school interested in partnering with Georgetown Law as part of the Early Outreach Initiative? <a href=\"https:\/\/georgetownuniversity-kmzbf.formstack.com\/forms\/early_outreach_school_participation\"><b>Please fill out a short form with information about your school.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Partnering with Nonprofits<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>If your organization works with access to higher education and would like to cooperate with Georgetown Law\u2019s Early Outreach Initiative, please contact us at <a href=\"mailto:earlyoutreach@georgetown.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"cx_external_link\"><span class=\"cx_external_hyperlink\"><b>earlyoutreach@georgetown.edu<\/b><\/span><span class=\"visually_hide\">(This link opens in a new tab)<\/span><span class=\"cx_external_icon\"><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Support from\u00a0<\/b>Firms<\/h2>\n<p>Establishing deeper connections between high school students and the legal community is at the heart of the Early Outreach Initiative. Law firms across the country are committing financial support for the first five years of the program, and identifying current associates to mentor program participants. If your firm would be interested in participating, please email us at <a href=\"mailto:earlyoutreach@georgetown.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"cx_external_link\"><span class=\"cx_external_hyperlink\">earlyoutreach@georgetown.edu<\/span><span class=\"visually_hide\">(This link opens in a new tab)<\/span><span class=\"cx_external_icon\"><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our Early Outreach Initiative is designed to develop awareness of the legal field and encourage interest in the legal profession among high school students who might not have otherwise had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6108,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"class_list":["post-7158","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/admissions-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}