For the past ten years, SHSU pre-law students have anticipated participating in the Mock Law School Class presented by Professor Val Ricks, Professor at Houston’s South Texas College of Law, and author of law school casebooks on contract law.
This semester, the LEAP Center was excited to welcome the following guests to the Mock Law School Class: Judge Kim Webb, an SHSU alum and a current Justice of the Peace in San Jacinto County; and Ryann Bauer with student members of the Huntsville High School’s Criminal Justice Program.
As in an actual law school class, Professor Ricks expected the 46 registered students to come to class prepared by reading and briefing the case beforehand. After briefly stating the relevant facts of the contract case, Ricks used a random number generator to select students to discuss the legal issue of the case. With skillful Socratic questioning, Ricks led the pre-law students through the analysis of the legal issue in the case, the rule of law, and how the court applied the rule of law in the case.
Neehal Ahmed appreciated Professor Ricks’ teaching style. Ahmed commented, “Professor Ricks made contracts, a daunting subject, seem far less scary through his patient and thorough explanation of concepts and their functions.”
At the conclusion of the contract case discussion, Professor Ricks presented the students with a hypothetical set of facts, similar to a question on a law school exam.
Ricks called on students to analyze the legal issue posed in the hypothetical and asked the class how a court would rule on the legal issue based on the legal reasoning from the contract case discussed earlier in class.
In reflecting on the Mock Law School Class, Christina Biello mirrored the thoughts of a lot of attendees before attending the class. Christina explained, “I was both frightened and eager because I had no idea what to anticipate, even after hours of preparation. However, experiencing Professor Val Ricks’ instruction confirmed my desire to attend law school, and it no longer seems as daunting.”
Neehal Ahmed summed up the experience by recommending “Professor Ricks’ mock law classes to any of those who are interested in attending law school but are scared of the subject matter they may encounter. If you come prepared, this experience can put a lot of your doubts and worries to rest.”
The LEAP Center and Pre-Law Society would like to thank South Texas College of Law–Houston and Professor Val Ricks for their time. As Professor Ricks noted, “I’ve been doing these visits for long enough that I’ve taught students at SHSU in the mock law class, then taught them a class at STCL, and seen them graduate. It’s very gratifying.”
We’d also like to thank Ms. Bauer from Huntsville High School and her wonderful students Hannah Ruth, Riane Davis, and Bethany Bell…
…as well as Judge Kim Webb.
It was a pleasure to have other programs in the community with a dedication to educating students join us for this enriching event!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 