It’s not the kind of classroom you expect to find in high school. There’s a judge’s bench, a witness stand, and rows of pews for spectators and jurors. At first glance, it looks like a real courtroom—which is precisely the point.

Thanks to the financial support of U.S. LawShield, high school students at Lutheran South Academy in Houston now have access to a professional-grade mock courtroom, right inside their school. It’s part of the school’s recently launched Legal Studies Academy, a four-year academic track aimed at preparing students for careers in law, criminal justice, advocacy and diplomacy.

“The program is in its first year. We have twenty-four students as part of the pilot class and they are just loving it,” says Kate Fleming, director of advancement at Lutheran South. The school serves students from Pre-K through 12th grade, with a total enrollment of approximately 850—380 of whom are in high school, the target group for the Legal Studies Academy. The program is part of the school’s focus on providing career-oriented education. In addition to Legal Studies, they currently offer a Flight Academy for future aviators and are developing a STEM Academy that will fuel the interests of students seeking careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

With the interest already generated in the program, the school expects the Legal Studies Academy to grow rapidly each year. The creation of the mock courtroom, where students can practice as if they are participating in actual trials, will serve as a huge draw as well as provide enrolled students with an unquestionable leg up on pursuing a legal career.

“We have an attorney actually teaching the class, and she’s had guest speakers present to the class such as law school students, other lawyers, even U.S. LawShield helped coordinate an attorney to come in and speak,” Fleming says. “We really needed a courtroom so the students could conduct mock trials and make the most of the opportunities the program offers.”

The mock courtroom will be a huge benefit to the program explains Sarah Horton, the attorney teaching the program.

“The Lutheran South Legal Studies Academy offers one-of-a-kind exposure to a subject that isn’t often found in high school curriculums,” she says. To date, students have been focused on understanding and dissecting key Supreme Court cases that have had major impacts on the course of American life. They spend time “reading, briefing and discussing” the cases the same way actual law school students are taught. The mock courtroom will allow them the opportunity to take their knowledge to the next level of their legal educations.

“I’m thrilled to share the law with them and can’t wait to create and teach a course focusing on mock trial and advocacy next year,” Horton says. “That course will also have a lasting impact on their ability to have the confidence to stand and speak in front of a group—a skill that can’t be emphasized enough with teenagers.”

Investing in the Future

It’s the ability to provide that kind of hands-on learning experience that drew U.S. LawShield to get involved with the Legal Studies Academy.

“At U.S. LawShield, we can think of no better way to improve our community and country than by promoting education and an interest in the law to a new generation of students,” says Kirk Evans, president of U.S. LawShield.

“Our company founder and owner, Darren Rice, as a practicing attorney, was a student, defender and protector of our Constitution. It is his commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a quality defense and protecting their rights that led him to start U.S. LawShield,” Evans says. “His passion for the law continues to drive U.S. LawShield today, protecting and educating our members and supporting important community programs such as Lutheran South Academy’s Legal Studies program.”

Supporting education and local community is nothing new at U.S. LawShield. Through its CommunityShield program, the company encourages employees to donate time and funds to charitable causes that are near and dear to their hearts both in the Houston area and across the country. The company then offers additional support to those efforts.

Through CommunityShield, U.S. LawShield and its employees have supported the Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness, an annual Mooner Beach Clean-Up Day, the Appalachian State Disaster Relief Fund, Ride for Hope Ovarian Cancer Awareness, Oregon Fallen Badge and Clackamas Volunteer Search & Rescue and paid employee support for disaster clean-up after last year’s Hurricane Helene to name just a few important causes. The company has even turned their annual employee Christmas Party into a charity benefit dinner and toy drive to help those in need in the Houston area during the holidays.

Key U.S. LawShield educational initiatives include their Camp Cicada Internship Program, an immersive, six-week offering that exposes college and high school students to every aspect of a corporation’s departmental roles and most recently allowed them to work on an actual marketing campaign. U.S. LawShield also established the Scott Joye Endowment Scholarship in honor of the organization’s late South Carolina independent program attorney.

Next Generation Legal Minds

Academy officials recently joined U.S. LawShield leaders, including Evans and CEO Brooksy Smith, for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the courtroom. Just outside the room, the wall and glass entryway proudly display the U.S. LawShield logo—a clear symbol of the company’s dual commitment to legal defense and to supporting the next generation of legal minds.

It will be in the mock courtroom where the academy’s classroom studies and discussion meet the real-life demands of litigating and arguing cases before an impartial judge and jury.

“The mock courtroom will serve several important purposes,” says Fleming. Students will not only conduct mock trials in front of their peers and instructors, practicing real courtroom procedure in a controlled but highly realistic setting, but they can also record their performances, allowing them to analyze and improve just like an athlete reviewing game film.

“They will even be able to put together a highlight reel of themselves to help improve by watching their speaking skills and overall performance,” Fleming said. “It will also give them something they can submit along with college applications.”

Ultimately, Horton and Fleming hope to see students in the Legal Studies Academy compete in national mock trial competitions—with the goal of earning a spot among the top-ranked programs in the country. They believe the addition of the mock courtroom could be the game-changer, giving Lutheran South students a true home-field advantage as they work toward that goal.

One thing is certain. No matter what competitive heights the program achieves, for the students who walk through those courtroom doors, this is more than just another class—it’s their first real step into the world of law.

And they don’t have to wait for law school to get started.