Field Notes: October 2025

We’re excited to launch Field Notes, a new series for volunteers in the Legal Career Pipeline Program. Field Notes will share best practices, challenges, and insights from trainings, classrooms, and capstone events, and highlight what we are learning about bringing the law to life for students. Whether you’re a returning volunteer or joining us for the first time, these updates are designed to support you as you bring your expertise to students and help shape the next generation of legal professionals.

Kicking Off the 2025–26 Program Year

In September, we officially launched the 2025–26 Legal Career Pipeline Program year with our first series of volunteer trainings in Washington, DC. These sessions mark the start of a cycle we repeat in communities across the country: preparing legal professionals to enter classrooms, share their expertise, and connect students to the law in meaningful ways.

The early trainings often set the tone for the year. They remind us that while our content is important, the process of equipping volunteers with strategies for teaching and engaging young people is just as critical. Volunteers frequently arrive confident in their legal knowledge but are sometimes uncertain about how to translate that knowledge into an accessible, student-centered experience. The training space allows us to shift perspectives—from focusing on “what I know” to “how students will learn from me.”

A recurring insight from past years, reinforced again this month, is the value of modeling interactive methods rather than simply describing them. When volunteers experience firsthand the activities students will later engage in, they leave with a deeper understanding of why experiential learning works. This reflection has shaped our approach: the more our trainings mirror the kind of classroom we want to create, the better prepared volunteers are to lead those classrooms.

The launch of the program year also reminds us of the delicate balance we navigate between consistency and flexibility. Each partner school and community has unique needs, yet there are shared challenges we encounter year after year—time constraints, differing levels of student background knowledge, and the unpredictability of schedules in busy legal workplaces and schools. Our first training sessions provide a space to surface these challenges early and set realistic expectations, helping volunteers feel supported as they step into their roles.

Looking ahead, the 2025–26 year holds many opportunities to refine our practices and deepen impact. This first milestone in DC underscores what we have learned: that strong beginnings—grounded in preparation, reflection, and adaptability—make the most difference in what follows.

In the next Field Note, we’ll share early classroom insights as the first groups of students meet their legal professional partners. We’ll explore how volunteers are putting their training into action and what we’re learning from these initial encounters.

 

Questions? You can reach our Legal Career Pipeline team at [email protected].