GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — There are questions across the country and here at home about whether the justice system is working as intended.
The Guilford County Association of Black Lawyers has the vision of bridging the gap between mistrust in the legal system and the community.
The GCABL's vice president, Judge Lora Cubbage said the group's plan to help the community understand how the justice system works starts with our youth.
"We need to get our youth involved especially at a young age," said Judge Cubbage. "This initiative is to shadow a lawyer for a day and we are trying to get kids to participate. If there's a situation, or a system, or an atmosphere that you want to change, then the best way to do that is to get involved," Cubbage said.
The GCABL hopes to inspire the next generation of lawyers and teach them the facets involved in the justice system, whether it be criminal or civil cases as well as law enforcement.
"We are helping our youth understand what it is we do on a day-to-day basis of how things work," said Cubbage. "How lawyers make decisions, how judges make decisions, and how district attorneys make decisions. Shadow a lawyer or a judge for a day and see the inner workings of what goes on, talk to those in the legal field so that the intimidation factor will be relieved and hopefully there will be some interest to work in the legal field as they go through school."
Through their mentorship and service in this community outreach project, the county's Black attorneys hope they will dispel one of the largest misconceptions about the legal system.
"We are really all here working for the greater good and I think that if they can see how things work and understand the dynamics of how decisions are made then we can begin to understand more that it is an intricate balance of protecting constitutional rights and protecting society," said Cubbage.
The GCABL's Shadow A Lawyer For A Day mentorship program is open to middle and high school students. Students need to complete an application that opens on Tuesday, March 1.
Once accepted into the program, students will then be paired with an attorney to shadow.
You can find more information here.