The pre-law program, which started in 1991, will familiarize participants with the rigorous demands of the first year of law school. Robert Desiderio, former dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law, and Professor Rose Cuison-Villazor of Hofstra University School of Law will serve as instructors for the program. Desiderio has previously taught in the program and has been instrumental in getting participants to attend and graduate from law school. Villazor, who grew up on Saipan and graduated from Mount Carmel School, will be teaching a course in property law.
In addition to attending law lectures, participants will partake in a series of activities designed to increase their critical thinking and analytical skills. These include a legal research and writing class, a moot court competition, and the opportunity to receive valuable insight and advice from volunteer attorney mentors. A workshop on the Law School Admissions Test and law school admission process will also be conducted. Together, these activities will help participants develop the skills necessary to attend law school and complete the challenging first-year curriculum.
The program has produced at least 25 lawyers.
Attorney Lucy Blanco-Maratita, a 1994 participant, said, “The Summer Pre-Law Program was instrumental in cementing my desire to go on to law school. It gave me not only a small taste of what law classes were like, and that they were do-able, but also the encouragement from the professors gave me the courage to hang on to my dream of going to law school.”
Attorney Vince Seman, a 2002 participant, added, “The fundamental skills I learned in the Program helped me start ahead of the curve and stay there throughout law school.”
Justice John A. Manglona, Blanco-Maratita, and Seman head the program’s steering committee. The CNMI Bar Association, the Northern Marianas Judiciary Historical Society and the Supreme Court are the principal sponsors of the program.
The application form is available online at www.justice.gov.mp and the submission deadline is May 5, 2010. Enrollment is limited. For more information, contact Martha Mendiola at the Supreme Court at 236-9710 or e-mail [email protected].
