Volunteer for Street Law
Each year, MJF places law student volunteers into local classrooms to teach middle school, high school and adult students about their legal rights.
Timeline for MJF’s Street Law Program:
Street Law Volunteers:
- October-November: The MJF Staff Attorney at each law school will reach out for volunteers. There will be an information session at each school so that students have a chance to learn more and ask specific questions. If you are unable to attend the information session, you can schedule a time to meet with your MJF Staff Attorney to discuss the program and the sign up process. Students interested in the program will contact their MJF Staff Attorney to express their interest. The staff attorneys will share these names with the Street Law coordinator.
- November-December: The Street Law coordinator will email interested law students the available Street Law classrooms, including the time and day that those classrooms will hold the Street Law class. Interested law students should connect with their partner and choose around 3 classrooms that will fit in the law students’ schedule. In early December, around December 1st, law students will sign up for a Street Law classroom through Volunteer Local. Law students who have expressed interest in Street Law will be sent the Volunteer Local sign up the day before it goes live.
- January: There will be a mandatory training session held over winter break. The training session provides you with a better understanding of the topics you will be teaching, an idea of what the work will be like, and a number of resources to assist you throughout the semester. After attending the training, street law teachers will set up a time to meet with their classroom teachers to plan the subject matter for the semester.
- Late January – late April/early May: Throughout the semester, you will schedule a time to meet with your assigned classroom and teach the students. A common way to wrap-up the semester is with a mock trial or a field trip to a courtroom or other legal service provider. This gives the students a chance to have an experiential learning opportunity exposing them to the legal profession.
If you have any questions about the program, or just want to learn more, please contact the Street Law coordinator at stthomas@mnjustice.org.