Our Interview With Michael S. Harrison, II, Esq., President Of The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc.

Michael S. Harrison, II, Esq. is the President of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc.

How has Martinet's mission evolved to address modern barriers to entering the profession?

Martinet was founded in 1957 by a group of Black attorneys during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, at a time when barriers to entering the profession were both explicit and implied. The barriers today are less visible but no less real, including the cost of law school and even the LSAT prep industry, and the general lack of representation in the profession. Our mission has shifted from fighting for admission to the profession to building the pipeline and support system that gets students to the starting line in the first place. Today, that includes, scholarship support, exposure to the profession before law school, and mentorship in and beyond law school.

What specific initiatives or mentorship programs has Martinet implemented?

We’ve established a few ways to further our mission to get individuals in and through law school. Through our non-profit arm, the New Orleans Martinet Legal Foundation, we award scholarships to both undergraduate and law students in Louisiana at our Annual Jazz Brunch & Scholarship Gala. We also started the “Pathways and Pipelines to Practice” initiative, a two day seminar for law students designed to expose them to various practice areas and prepare them for life in a professional environment. The Pathways program breaks down the day-to-day life of an attorney and offers panel discussions on topics such as building a personal brand, navigating life as an associate, starting your own firm, and more.• Finally, our Young Lawyers’ Committee launched a formal mentorship program this year, pairing law students and recently admitted attorneys with seasoned mentors on a 1:1 basis. This program is designed not only to provide substantive advice on the practice of law, but also to teach mentees how to network more effectively, how to manage personal and professional lives, and how to take an active role in advancing their career.

What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer aspiring lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds navigating law school admissions?

Learn to communicate as effectively as possible. Every facet of law, from education to practice, is a function of communicating well. In the admissions process, schools examine your ability to articulate why you want to be a lawyer; not because they truly care for sentimental reasons, but because they want to know if you will be able to communicate more complex thoughts. During school, you will be tasked with writing those thoughts and speaking them aloud, and your ability to elevate those skills in practice will come, in large part, in your ability to decipher communication from others (i.e., reading and listening). Communication is the single most important skill you can master at this point. Everything else will come with time and practice (hence the old cliché, “that’s why it’s called the practice of law”).

Juris Education is proud to interview leaders such as Michael S. Harrison, II, Esq. who are helping to expand access for underrepresented individuals to the legal profession.