Eli Lilly, Baker & Daniels Bring Legal Education to Local High School

Eli Lilly & Company and Baker & Daniels are bringing legal education to Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy in Indianapolis by teaming up with the national nonprofit organization Street Law, InsideCounsel reported in its article, "Becoming Mentors."

In 2008, Lilly sought to create a formal pro bono program that would allow the department's non-lawyers to participate. The result was a partnership with Baker & Daniels and Street Law, which incorporates law programs into the classroom with a goal to increase diversity in the legal profession, the story reported. The partnership identified Shortridge, which has a curriculum focused on democracy and justice, as the partner school that would most benefit from a law program.

Lilly legal department employees and Baker & Daniels lawyers visit Shortridge in groups of six to eight volunteers on designated days to discuss careers and teach subject matter. Although the program was initially intended for juniors, Lilly modified the program and launched it in sophomore classrooms in August 2010, InsideCounsel reported.

"We give them a core understanding (of civil law) and walk them through real-life experiences so that they understand how these principles apply to their everyday lives," said Ponce Tidwell, assistant general counsel at Lilly.

At the end of the first semester, Lilly hosted a one-day conference and workshop for Shortridge Street Law students at its corporate headquarters. "We got great positive feedback from the students," Tidwell says. "They appreciated people outside of school taking time and interest in them."

"One of our main goals (through Street Law) was to increase interest in law school, but we decided that even if we could just spark increased interest in pursuing education, it's still a win-win," Tidwell told InsideCounsel.