March 22, 1996 Dear Jan Ferris: For many urban high-school students, learning about the law on the streets or from television is routine. Some students can quote certain legal defense strategies. And as reported violent youth crime escalates, increasingly teen-agers find themselves getting courtroom experience firsthand. To help high-school students gain more "street law" smarts -- before breaking the law themselves -- UC Davis law students have started volunteer teaching in Sacramento-area classrooms. The law students are participating in the new King Hall Street Law Program, started to educate high-school students about law, accountability and legal penalties. In some cases, the law students are talking to governmentclasses that already use a textbook titled "Street Law." To get their messages across, the law students use whatever format they think will work best, including mock trials. High-school students in the classes range from those in a college-prep track to those considered "at risk." One law student notes that "all of my kids have been in court!" Among the topics addressed in the classrooms by the 14 UC Davis law students participating in the program this semester are California's "three strikes" law, rape, DUI, divorce and custody law and immigration law. "We want to give them a cursory overview of the law. We've found there's a lot of misinformation out there and we're trying to dispel that," says David Lorie, a UC Davis law student participating in the class this semester. The UC Davis street law program reflects a nationwide trend toward university street law programs offered in public high schools. High schools in Sacramento involved with the program include Encina, Hiram Johnson and La Entrada Continuation high schools. The law students who participate receive class credit for their efforts and meet weekly to discuss their progress during the 13-week program, for which Millard Murphy, law lecturer, is the faculty adviser. The law students involved in the program will be teaching at their schools through the end of April. To contact them for a potential story, for logistical reasons and for the speediest access to students, please call me at 752-9841. Sincerely yours, Lisa Klionsky Senior Public Information Rep. UC Davis News Service (916) 752-9841 lrklionsky@ucdavis.edu