November 22, 2017
Hill-Tucker Institute Inspires High School Students to Consider Career in Law
BY: Christina S. Parrish
From late-May to mid-June, high school students across the Commonwealth are
dreaming of a summer full of rest, relaxation and summer vacations. This
year, a select group of students chose to delay these summer staples in
favor of an opportunity to attend the Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute.
On June 26, 2017, seventeen inquisitive and eager high school students
descended upon the campus of the University of Richmond to attend the Oliver
Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute. The Institute, an annual program for
diverse and academically at-risk high school students across Virginia,
provided the students with a positive introduction to the legal system and
immersed them in the basic fundamentals of the legal profession through an
intensive week of programming and academic exercise.
The Institute featured a robust week of programming. Students enjoyed a
guided tour of the Virginia Capitol building. After which, the participants
engaged in an exclusive question and answer experience with The Honorable
Justice Cleo Powell. Students mixed and mingled with local
practitioners during an evening networking reception in the University of
Richmond Law School Atrium. Admissions representatives from several Virginia
colleges and universities reviewed the college admissions process and
offered helpful advice for students with the goal of gaining admission to
law school. Five Richmond area attorneys—Colette McEachin, Doug Smith,
Nicole Thompson Stock, Rita P. Davis, and Stacy E. Lee—discussed the array
of legal practice areas and the many paths to a successful legal career
during a very candid career panel. The students even completed a session on
etiquette to prepare for the many business lunches and dinners to come in
their future, as well as our closing banquet which featured Dr. Dietra
Trent, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as keynote
speaker.
While managing a robust programming schedule, the students prepared for a
mock trial competition throughout the week. Daily workshops provided an
introduction to basic trial advocacy skills, such as opening and closing
statements, as well as direct and cross examination. The Honorable Manuel
Capsalis and The Honorable Michael Lindner from the Fairfax County General
District Court reinforced their knowledge base with a special session
on trial advocacy from the perspective of the bench. With only four days of
preparation, the students thoroughly impressed each volunteer practitioner
during the mock trial competition and created memories that will last a
lifetime.
Beyond the programming and the academic exercises, the Honorable David Eugene
Cheek, Sr. from the Richmond General District Court offered the most impactful
aspect of the program, imparting on each student the important legacy of
Mssrs. Hill and Tucker. The Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute was named in honor
of famed African American civil rights attorneys Oliver J. Hill and Samuel W.
Tucker. In 1940, Mr. Hill began winning cases alongside his colleague
and law school classmate, Thurgood Marshall, and was perhaps most recognized
for his role in one of the four companion cases in
Brown v. Topeka Board of Educati. Samuel W.
Tucker, Esquire, after serving as an officer in the armed forces, later joined
Oliver W. Hill’s firm and together they successfully and tirelessly combatted
massive resistance to implementation of the
Browdecision through a number of significant cases.
Judge Cheek shared his personal reflections from working alongside Mr.
Oliver Hill and Mr. Samuel Tucker. He passionately impressed upon each
student the legacy left by these two trailblazers and the opportunity
afforded each student as a result of Mr. Hill and Mr. Tucker’s combined
sacrifices and service as distinguished citizen lawyers.
The Institute is offered at no cost to the aspiring student lawyers, long
made possible by law firm donations and grants from the Virginia Law
Foundation and by funds raised by the Diversity Conference through its
predecessor 501(c)(3) Millennium Diversity Initiative. In its first
year as a fully funded Conference of the Virginia State Bar, the Hill Tucker
Institute is perhaps the most rewarding budgeted item for the Diversity
Conference as it continues to further its mission of diversity and inclusion
in the legal profession. Once again this year, the Diversity
Conference is grateful to the Virginia Law Foundation for this year’s grant,
without which the continued success of the Institute would not be possible.
Finally, the success of the Institute would not be possible without a
dedicated core of volunteer attorneys from the Young Lawyers Conference, the
Hill Tucker Bar Association and the Diversity Conference. Since its
inception, members of the Young Lawyers Conference have served as
chairpersons and organizers of the Institute’s programs. This year the
Diversity Conference would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to
Co-Chairs Alicia Roberts and Christina Parrish, who dedicated countless
hours in preparation for the annual event and then provided guidance and
mentorship to the students throughout the week.
Above all, the Institute represents opportunity. Mr. Oliver Hill and Mr.
Samuel Tucker labored to ensure that each participant can not only have a
seat at the table, but that they are equipped and emboldened to bring their
own chairs. While we recognize that five days alone is insufficient to
completely summarize the entire practice of law, we are confident that the
Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute lit a fire of curiosity and inspiration in
each student that we hope will continue to burn and grow for years to come.
FN: http://HillTuckerBarAssociation.com