The first class to enter the Law and Leadership Institute (LLI) at The University of Toledo College of Law will graduate from the program on Saturday, March 16. Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger of the Supreme Court of Ohio, a 1977 alumna of the college, will be the keynote speaker.

The 18 graduates, all seniors at local high schools, will participate in a mock trial competition against LLI students from the University of Akron School of Law 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16 in the Cubbon Courtroom at the Law Center. The commencement ceremony will follow at 3:30 p.m. in the Law Center’s McQuade Law Auditorium.

Supported by the Ohio State Bar Foundation, the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio’s nine law schools, and others, LLI is a state-wide initiative to help prepare students from underserved communities for post-secondary success through a four-year academic program in law, leadership, analytical thinking, and writing skills. Toledo Law’s LLI program began in 2009 with a single ninth grade class; a new class has joined the program each following year.

“We are very proud of the students we have worked with in the Law and Leadership Institute, especially those we have seen grow during the past four years. We are grateful to all of the sponsors for supporting this effort to diversify the legal profession,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law.

The LLI program was piloted in Columbus and Cleveland in 2008, and has since grown to more than 400 high school students on eight law school campuses across the state.

For more information, visit the LLI web site at lawandleadership.org or contact Marilyn Preston, professor of legal writing and Toledo Law’s LLI director, at 419-530-2863 or marilyn.preston@utoledo.edu.

Tags: College of Law