When the Maryland State Bar Association’s Citizenship Law-Related Education Program in Maryland Schools (CLREP) was created 30 years ago, its goal was to train teachers in law-related education so that they, in turn, could educate Maryland students about the law. Today, this effort has blossomed into a comprehensive law-related education initiative from which more than 10,000 teachers and over two million young people have benefited. Several million Marylanders now have a better understanding of the law and are more knowledgeable citizens thanks to MSBA volunteer lawyers and judges.

This year, as CLREP observes its 30th anniversary, it celebrates the strides it has made in law-related education and commemorates the extraordinary impact it has had in educating the public about the law. Its extensive offerings in Maryland schools have educated young people and given them insight into our legal system and their role as responsible citizens. This milestone has been achieved through the efforts of thousands of MSBA attorney and judge volunteers who generously give 20,000+ hours every year to foster law-related education in our schools.

Today, CLREP offers everything from the Mock Trial Competition, the Law Links Student/law firm summer internship, Teen Court, Peer Mediation, Conflict Resolution and mentor programs to training institutes, publications, software and curriculum materials. This comprehensive educational effort is supported by thousands of volunteers with support from MSBA’s Law-Related Education Committee, chaired by the Honorable Diane O. Leasure and the CLREP staff, led by Ellery M. Miller, Jr., Executive Director.

Throughout 2005, CLREP will celebrate its 30th anniversary with special events saluting the volunteers whose commitment is the foundation of its success. In the last three decades, CLREP has enriched the lives of millions of Marylanders, giving them an appreciation of their rights as citizens, the law and our constitutional form of government. It has also advanced the public’s respect, trust and confidence in our legal system.

History
CLREP has come a long way in the last 30 years. When legal illiteracy evolved as a problem in the 1970s, Maryland attorneys, judges, police officers and educators determined state schools lacked an adequate focus on the law and its impact on the daily lives of citizens. To address legal illiteracy, MSBA created CLREP to promote law-related education and citizenship in public and private schools and educate students and teachers about the law.

In 1975, CLREP was launched with an initial U. S. Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Administration grant and funding from MSBA and eventually the Maryland State Department of Education. Essentially, its thrust was to bring the “law to life for students and help prepare them for positive, productive citizenship”.

“We began with teacher training and curriculum development,” recalls Ellery M. Miller, Jr., CLREP Executive Director for the last 29 years. The primary focus was training to increase teacher knowledge, skills and competency in law-related instruction. “We trained the teachers to reach the students and developed and distributed relevant curriculum material.”

CLREP began sponsoring regional training conferences, summer institutes and in-service days to give teachers substantive legal knowledge, coupled with interactive, experiential methods that would help their students think critically, analyze information and understand the law and legal concepts being presented. Today, over 7,500 teachers have been trained.

Next, CLREP offered structured educational programs. In 1984, it unveiled its successful Mock Trial Competition, “to engage teachers, lawyers, educators and kids,” states Miller. “We started with five schools; today, 135 high schools, 2,000+ students and 450+ lawyers and judges, participate annually.” Over the years, 32,000+ students and 5,000+ parents and members of the community have been involved in MSBA’s Mock Trials.

In 1992, CLREP initiated the Law Mentor Program, followed by the Peer Mediation project and Conflict Resolution, Anger Management, and Advanced Conflict Resolution training. MSBA’s law firm/high school student summer internship, Law Links, began in 1993 and 498 students have completed it to date. CLREP introduced Teen Court in 1999, its Core Learning Goals Resource Guide in 2000, the Maryland Justice Training Institute in 2003 and the Maryland Summer Center for Law and Government for Gifted and Talented Students in 2004.

Over the years, CLREP has also sponsored numerous workshops and conferences (many with MSBA’s Public Awareness Committee) to provide teachers with methods and materials to improve instruction in their classrooms and enhance the understanding of students. It continues to build on the momentum it has created, develop new projects and effectively make a difference in the lives of young people.

As CLREP looks forward to its next 30 years, Miller predicts, “It will be as needed and valuable a service to the young people of Maryland as it has been for the past 30 years. CLREP will evolve and change but the need for educating young people about the law will continue to be critical. The program will continue to be strengthened and supported by attorneys and judges who care about the rule of law and young people.”