Law camps for high school students scheduled in June and July

               Law camps that will introduce high school students to the legal profession are scheduled for June and July in Brandon, Gulfport, Indianola, Natchez, Starkville, Tupelo and Vicksburg.

                The Mississippi Court of Appeals also will conduct a one-day appellate law camp in Jackson.

                Planned programs are expected to include discussions with judges, attorneys and court staff;  opportunities to watch court proceedings; and practice activities including mock trials, negotiations and oral arguments. 

                Program dates and locations are:

• June 1-5, Natchez, Miss-Lou Pre-Law Academy, Adams County Courthouse, registration deadline May 15;

• June 1-5, Vicksburg, All Rise Law Camp, Warren County Courthouse, registration deadline May 22;

• June 8-12 Indianola, 9th Chancery Summer Law Camp, Sunflower County Courthouse, registration closed;

• June 15-18, Gulfport, Gargiulo Law Camp, Harrison County Courthouse, registration closed;

• June 22-25, Starkville, Golden Triangle Law Academy, Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Complex, registration deadline June 15;

• June 22-25, Tupelo, Themis Law Camp, Lee County Justice Center, application deadline June 15;

• July 14-15, Brandon, Rankin-Madison Future Lawyers, Rankin County Circuit Courthouse, registration deadline July 6;

• July 22, Jackson, Court of Appeals Law Day Camp, Carroll Gartin Justice Building, registration deadline June 26.

                Registration information for programs in Natchez, Gulfport, Starkville, Tupelo and Brandon is at this link: https://www.msatjc.org/event. Registration for the All Rise Law Camp in Vicksburg is at this link: www.judgeterrett.com/camp2026.

                Mississippi Supreme Court Presiding Justice Leslie King of Greenville will be among the many judges, attorneys and court staff who will speak to students from Humphreys, Sunflower and Washington counties during the 9th Chancery Court's Law Day Camp June 8 through 11 at the Sunflower County Courthouse in Indianola.

Students will hear from judges at all levels of the court system, attorneys, court administrators and a court reporter. The  program will conclude on June 12 with a trip to the State Capitol, the Mississippi Supreme Court and Mississippi College School of Law. 

                Presiding Justice King said that he hopes to dispel some misconceptions about the law and encourage students to join the legal profession in the future. He said, "There is a need for trained legal professionals in Mississippi. There are many areas of our state where there are just a few lawyers, many of whom are of advanced age and are perhaps retired or semi-retired. As a part of the law camp, it is important that we help the participants to understand that the law is not just a job, but a profession which carries with it both privileges and responsibilities."

                Presiding Justice King said, "I have encountered too many people, both children and adults, who have a significant misconception of the law and its operation.  Many of them labor under the belief that the law is a weapon to be used against them, while it protects the favored few. Those of us who are a part of the legal profession have an obligation to inform, by our words and demonstrate by our actions, that the law applies equally and fairly to every  person no matter his station in life." Television programs and movies give some misconceptions.  "It is amazing the number of people who believe that Judge Judy or  Judge Mathis are accurate representations of how the law operates," he said.

                Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen of Jackson also will speak to the 9th Chancery Law Day Camp students. He said, "Due to the complexity of modern life, almost every one of us or a family member will need legal counsel in our lifetime. The legal profession is the backbone of American self-governance, impacts economic activity and interstate commerce and is essential in transferring family assets between generations. We need young people who are interested in service to consider law as a career so we can maintain our collective values of common good and order. Young people, especially those that enjoy solving problems or taking or embracing challenge, should be encouraged to pursue the law as a career that provides personal satisfaction while serving a greater good."

                Chancellor Vincent Davis of Fayette, who spearheaded the first Miss-Lou Pre-Law Academy in Natchez in 2025, is eager to expand and reach more students this summer. Alcorn State University Chief Compliance Officer Alfred Galtney, who spoke to students last year about careers in law, joined the planning team and secured a grant that will fund the Miss-Lou program and four others, Judge Davis said. Alcorn partnered with law camp planners across the state.

                "The primary goal is to introduce students to the legal profession, hopefully to light a fire, to cause some of them to go into the legal profession," Judge Davis said.

                Judge Davis recalled that he was in college when he met a lawyer for the first time. Students at last year's program "met nearly every judge in this county." Lawyers from a variety of practice areas spoke, and stayed to watch much of the program.

                The Miss-Lou program also teaches students about the workings of government in their local courthouses. Judge David said, "A lot of people don't quite understand what happens in the courthouse. They buy tags and pay taxes." In last year's law camp in Natchez, students met the Circuit Clerk, Chancery Clerk, Tax Assessor, Tax Collector and other officials. They saw the Election Commission at work.

                Students in the Natchez program will get a first-hand look at both trial court and appellate court proceedings. The Mississippi Court of Appeals' Court on the Road program scheduled a visit to Natchez during the Miss-Lou Pre-Law Academy. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in a case on appeal on June 3. The appeal will be heard at 10:30 a.m. on the Natchez campus of Alcorn State University at 15 Campus Drive.

                The case scheduled to be heard is the appeal of Shawnzell Lee McGee v. State of Mississippi, Appeal number 2025-KA-00161-COA. A Prentiss County Circuit Court jury  convicted McGee of first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm for the Jan. 22, 2019, shooting death of Gary Price in Baldwyn.

                The All Rise Law Camp will be held June 1-5 at the Warren County Courthouse in Vicksburg. This will be Circuit Judge Toni Terrett's seventh year to conduct the program. "It is a fully immersive camp that includes educational components about how law intersects with the three branches of government with a special emphasis on the court system. Students will hear from motivational speakers and will travel to Jackson to visit the Civil Rights Museum and the   Capitol. The week concludes with a mock trial presentation by the students," Judge Terrett said.

                As many as 19 students are expected to attend the Gargiulo Law Camp in Gulfport June 15-18. Harrison County Court Judge Alison Bryant Baker, who is leading the program, said. "I hope our students will not only gain a better understanding of the Mississippi court system, but will expand their desire to start a career in law. Our goal is to expose students to how varied the practice of law can be, so that they are encouraged to pursue a law degree." The program is named in honor of the late Judge John Gargiulo, who served as a Circuit Court Judge for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties, then as U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi.

                The Golden Triangle Law Academy is set for June 22-25 in Starkville. Circuit Judge Michelle Easterling said, "The Golden Triangle Law Academy will provide participants with a unique opportunity to see and experience firsthand how expansive and exciting a career in the law can be.  Students will not only hear from attorneys from different facets of the legal field, but will also have the opportunity to observe court proceedings, interact with judges and practitioners, and hone their own skills with exercises in negotiations, oral argument and resume building."

                Rankin-Madison Future Lawyers, scheduled July 14-15 in Brandon, will take participants into the courtrooms with Circuit Judges Steve Ratcliff and Dewey Arthur and Chancellors Haydn Roberts and Troy Odom. Students will watch court hearings and participate in a mock trial.

                The Themis Law Camp, the model for most of the other summer law camps, is scheduled for June 22-25 in Tupelo. Access to Justice Commission Co-chair Chancellor Jacqueline Mask started the Themis Law Camp in Tupelo in 2022. Judge Mask said, "It's my hope that our combined efforts to bolster this program will have a lasting, positive impact on these students, and on the future of our region. Those of us who have been blessed to be an attorney or judge can use this as a way to give back to the communities that have helped us have these careers."

                Encouraging young people to consider careers in law is important to providing access to the courts for all people, particularly those who have limited financial means, said Nicole H. McDowell of Tupelo, executive director of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. In recent years the number of people who struggle to afford legal assistance has grown as the number of attorneys has declined.

                McDowell said, "The decreasing number of attorneys in the state is a serious access to justice issue we are very concerned about. Targeting our Mississippi youth and introducing them to the law as a possible profession might assist in the shortage of attorneys in the state. We need our brightest to stay in Mississippi and, hopefully, practice law or become affiliated with the legal profession in some other way."