With laptops open and desks arranged in a circle, students raptly pay attention to Maritza Alvarez Shapiro as she teaches Law Studies and Court Procedures, a new addition to Miami Palmetto Senior High’s extensive elective curriculum.
Two summers ago, after senior Paulina Handal attended a law program at Stanford University, she decided to bring what she learned to MPSH as a new class. Handal then spoke to Principal Victoria Dobbs, who explained what she needed to do to implement the class. The first step was finding a teacher.
“We wanted someone qualified to teach the class, someone who has experience working in the law, and this was the perfect thing,” Handal said.
Alvarez Shapiro appeared as the obvious choice since she has experience as a public defender and private criminal defense lawyer. Additionally, she served as a temporary Civics instructor at Palmetto Middle School.
“When Paulina approached me, I said ‘You know what, this can be great. I can do a marriage between law, which I love, and education, which I really am enjoying,’” Alvarez Shapiro said.
Alvarez Shapiro structured the class so students gain legal reasoning, knowledge about the legal system and the ability to perform well in a mock trial.
“It’s giving me a foundation I can use for law school in the future and strategies I can use in Teen Court because I’m a defense attorney,” senior Susan Lopez said.
The first couple weeks of class consisted of the foundations of law and advocacy, followed by education on the court system and elements of a crime. Students also learned the Issue, Rule, Application and Conclusion (IRAC) method of legal analysis to break down the cases they study.
On Sept. 20, guest speakers from LexisNexis will teach the students about legal research.
“LexisNexis, a kind of database of legal research that most law schools and law firms use has agreed to do a pilot program in my class … They are going to give all the students an account and teach them how to do legal research,” Alvarez Shapiro said.
As the year progresses, students will participate in mock trials at Florida International University’s courtroom and have the opportunity to compete, followed by learning the appeal process.
“I love it. I think it’s so interesting, because not only am I learning, but it’s fun to just read through these cases that are super interesting and get all this new information,” Handal said.
