By QINA LIU
qliu@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1613

The defendant's name was Goldilocks, the tired and scared little girl who was chased out of the woods by bears. The plaintiffs were three bears who came home to find that their food had been eaten, their furniture had been broken and their beds had been slept in.    

Some elementary school students recently acted out the timeless fairy tale, playing the roles of judge, lawyer and witness in the "Goldilocks on Trial" program. And they quickly learned that there are two sides to every story and not everything is black and white when looking at the legal system.

The program was hosted by the Minority Bar Association of Western New York in conjunction with the Buffalo Public Schools and the University at Buffalo's Black Law Student Association, Latin American Law Students Association and Asian American Law Students Association

"We are putting Goldilocks on trial day in and day out," said Joseph Hanna, president of the Minority Bar and a partner in Goldberg Segalla LLP.

With the success of the program last year in reaching out to third- and fourth-graders at Martin Luther King Multicultural Institute, the MBAWNY continued Goldilocks on Trial for the second year in mid-April at Public School No. 6 Elementary School of Technology and Public School No. 74 Hamlin Park School.  

"It's our small way of reaching out to kids to explain the function of criminal law," said Minryu "Sarah" Kim, chairman of the program and an attorney at Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo.

But rather than introduce 8- and 9-year-olds to the criminal justice system, the Minority Bar Task Force this year approached nearly 200 fifth- and sixth-graders who could better understand and appreciate the program.

According to Kim, the older students seemed to be more receptive to the program. They asked some meaningful questions and appeared to have a better grasp of what the Minority Bar Association of Western New York was doing.

In conjunction with the Goldilocks program, the Task Force also hosted a Speaker Series geared toward juniors and seniors at Lafayette High School and Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts. The series featured panelists who discussed the importance and diversity of the legal system, as well as how to pursue a career in legal justice.

Sheldon Smith, a senior associate at Nixon Peabody and chairman of the Speaker Series, said a focus is to show how panelists give back to the community and that it is never too late to pursue a degree in law.

"The hope is they realize they can still achieve these goals and study what they want in college and still go to college (for law)," he said. "I think a lot of students were pleased to learn they can study art."  

Panelists such as Buffalo City Court Judge E. Jeanette Ogden, a member of MBAWNY, said it is important to be a role model for students and to help empower them by teaching them how law permeates every aspect of life.

Said Ogden: "When they can see someone who attended public schools like they did, it becomes more real.

"That, to me, is really rewarding because when I went to a public school, I didn't get a chance to meet a lawyer."

Hanna, meanwhile, also was a panelist. He said he had follow-up conversations with students and continues to mentor them.

"The panel is not there to build their resume. If they didn't care about the students, they wouldn't be there," he said.

The attitude of the students was refreshing, according to Hanna.

"If you went in and saw the enthusiasm of the students of Lafayette High School and Performing Arts, it would make you proud to be a Buffalonian," he said.

Christine Ayres, a school counselor at Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, said students there were pleased with the panel presentation and found it applicable, regardless of whether or not they are pursuing a law career.

"They appreciated hearing from people who could be open about bachelor's degrees or graduate degrees," Ayres said.     

The Speaker Series involved about 300 high school students this year. According to the Minority Bar, it will continue to visit two to three schools next year, with the program potentially expanding to Rochester or Syracuse schools in the future.

"I just always liked working with children," Kim said. "I know the Minority Bar was reaching this pipeline program to implement the idea that the job of an attorney is a very reachable goal."

Added Smith: "It couldn't have been more well-received. Watching it grow and to see all their questions and interests just makes you really proud to be a part of it."