The LEGALGRIND® seeks to educate and empower the community with knowledge and choices about legal rights and responsibilities so that individuals can break legal barriers to achieving their goals and to promote alternative behavior to risky situations by outreaching to individuals, small businesses and youths through seminars, services and education programs.

History

The LEGALGRIND® is a grass-roots movement founded by Jeffrey Hughes, President of Legal Grind® Coffee & Counsel® shops to encourage the legal community to become actively involved in its community. Mr. Hughes quickly attracted attorneys who wish to connect with their communities. Mr. Hughes further attracted law students who shared similar values. This small group has outreached to other professionals in the community such as teachers in the Public School System, social workers and leaders in the non-profit arena.

Collaboration

The LEGALGRIND® is a "roll-up the sleeves" and "hands-on" organization, which is developing co-partnerships with other, established organizations to further their respective goals.

Teens in the Balance

The LEGALGRIND'S® first program is TEENS IN THE BALANCE which is designed to promote alternative choices to risky behavior for at-risk youth by promoting self-esteem, anger management, critical thinking, and lively debate. The skills utilized by the legal profession reflect the types of skills which at-risk youths are sorely lacking which leads to life-threatening situations for the youths and the community, gang-culture and membership, career criminals and welfare participants. Our fast-paced course to a global economy and the retirement of the backbone of our business world, the baby-boomers, during the new millennium requires that our young have the skills to cope with anger, mediate among peers and cross-cultures, communicate effectively, persuade and negotiate, and inspire subordinates. We have experienced the dire consequences of what occurs when our young fester rage and have no healthy alternatives to airing differences with guns, knives or crime.

TEENS IN THE BALANCE incorporates a curriculum, which integrates these skills, which our public school systems are simply not equipped to handle. Please email us at lg@legalgrind.com.

Certified Peer Mediation Program

We undoubtedly all question the safety of our public schools and community and our youths' ability to cope with anger which most recently has translated into public massacres. While conflict is a natural human state, our youths fail miserably in coping with this dangerous state.

LEGALGRIND'S® Certified Peer Mediation Program is directed to transform anger into appropriate conflict responses through alternative dispute resolution techniques. The program's goal is not only to teach healthy choices to dangerous situations but also to certify teens to become peer mediators. Mediation is an appropriate life-long and effective approach, which is used by our society in response to various conflicts. Mediation skills are critical to at-risk youths as it incorporates communication skills, negotiation and promotes critical thinking over base emotion-triggered responses, or avoidance, which leads to pent-up rage, to conflict.

The mediation program was first implemented by Santa Monica High School in California to mediate disputes, which occur on its campus. The goal is to find attorneys and other legal professionals that will collaborate with public and private schools to allow the certified peer mediators to mediate disputes, which occur on school premises. Accordingly, teens that have engaged in disputes will have the option of entering into a peer mediation program or traditional punitive techniques such as detentions or suspension. Since teens of different cultures and those attending various schools will be enrolled in the program, the participating schools can be far-reaching. Please email us at lg@legalgrind.com.

Moot Court Program

LEGALGRIND'S® Teen Supreme Court is designed to promote critical thinking and analytical skills through writing, debate, persuasion and rap music! The program was first implemented at Santa Monica High School in 2000. To receive a copy of the introductory materials and a sample script please email us at lg@legalgrind.com.