UKS Visits Covenant Preparatory School in Hartford

On June 30, 2023, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy Associate Attorney Matthew Warden and summer associates Theyjasvi Ashok, Michael Francomano, Renee Varga and Gillian Wilson, visited Covenant Preparatory School. Covenant Preparatory School, located in Hartford, provides middle school students from underserved communities with the necessary foundation to successfully pursue higher education. As part of Covenant Preparatory School’s summer session, the students are exposed to experiential learning opportunities and mentorships from various local community professionals. UKS has an active and ongoing interest in “giving back” to the community and the Firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is committed to supporting and developing pipeline initiatives designed to ensure that young students are invited and encouraged to learn about the legal profession.

It is with these symbiotic goals in mind that the UKS team delighted in taking the opportunity to facilitate a “voir dire” demonstration – the process of jury selection – for the students at Covenant Preparatory School. The demonstration involved break out groups whereby the students assisted in the formulation of questions used to choose prospective jurors for both the defense counsel and the prosecutor. Students were given an opportunity to learn about how or why they may be called for jury selection and some of the philosophical virtues of having a “jury of one’s peers.” Then, using a fictious fact pattern involving a student found with unlawful substances in their backpack while at school (modeled off the new Jersey Supreme Court case, New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 (1985)), the UKS team, Covenant Preparatory School’s faculty and the students participated in a live voir dire roleplay where questions were asked of potential jurors (some of whom were comprised of volunteer students). The demonstration ended with a Question and Answer session which allowed the students to learn more about the UKS team, the voir dire process, and the legal field more broadly.