Chief Sealth students learn by trial

Ashley Sandell said she never considered becoming a lawyer — until now.

Sandell, 17, was one of 40 students from West Seattle's Chief Sealth High School who attended Safeco/Street Law Law Day, where students got some hands-on experience learning about the law through mock trials and other workshops at the University of Washington Law School. The Friday program, organized by attorneys at Safeco Insurance in partnership with Street Law, a nonprofit that promotes education about the law, democracy and human rights, targets students of color.

The students were mostly juniors and seniors in Pamela Mushen's government and finance classes. Mushen, a former attorney, said the event was the first time she'd had 100 percent participation in a field trip.

Students took the workshops seriously, leaning in to listen to one another, engaged in their roles in a mock trial.

In one room, high-schoolers cross-examined witnesses who were involved in Suzie Q Sixteen's hypothetical car accident. In another, they played judges and lawyers in a sexual-harassment case involving a teenage employee who was embarrassed by a colleague who wore a Speedo swimsuit to work.

The students nibbled at their lunches as civil-rights activist Charles Ogletree Jr, an author and professor at Harvard Law School, quizzed them on people they ought to know. Images of 50 Cent and Ludacris came before those of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, followed by photos of assorted lawyers — such as Kenneth Chenault, the African-American chairman and chief executive of American Express — who now hold key leadership positions.

"This is someone you should know because this tells you there's no limit to what you can do," said Ogletree, who served as lead attorney for Anita Hill during the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

After giving a brief lesson on the difficult battle of desegregation, Ogletree had a surprise for the students, offering one senior in the room a $5,000 scholarship for the best essay on how they would promote diversity and racial justice.

The day also gave students a chance to learn new skills. "At first I was a little nervous to be in front of everybody," said senior Isaiah Green, who played a defense attorney. "But when I got up there, there was nothing to it."

Taking part in the event did change Sandell's outlook on law as a career — one she once believed required too many years of school.

"It kind of showed how fun it could be and how the hard work paid off," she said of the program.

Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 206-464-3315 or jhsu@seattletimes.com