“We were going to be partners in a law firm – Rudolph and Rudolph,” he said.

Fortunately for Brandon, as a teenager he had access to a program that helped put him on the path to fulfilling that dream of becoming a lawyer – Central High School’s Law and Government Magnet program and its partnership with the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. The focus of the program is to give more diverse and underrepresented students a view of the legal profession where diversity has historically been lacking.

“Lawyers are leaders, and diversity in leadership is critical to democracy,” said Laura Rothstein, a former Brandeis School of Law dean and now dean emerita. “In 2001, when Central High School Principal Harold Fenderson invited me to create a partnership between the Brandeis School of Law and the Law and Government Magnet program, I recalled the influences from my own high school days.

“The stories and statistics over the past 23 years make this partnership a win for Central High School, the law school, the university, and the city of Louisville as Central students become lawyers, professionals in other fields, and leaders in the community. Other communities can use our program as a model — a Kentucky to the World example.”

Rothstein has been the main driver for a new documentary film celebrating the success of the UofL – Central partnership. “A Pathway Forward” will premiere to an invitation-only crowd Oct. 9��at 6:30 p.m. at Bomhard Theatre in the Kentucky Center for the Arts. The film will then open to the public at��, Oct. 10-12. A trailer for the film can be found on the��.

Since it began in 2001, nearly 700 Central High School graduates have participated in the partnership, with many of them going on to attend law schools in 15 states. Since 2007, those Central magnet students were not only taking classes from Joe Gutmann, the long-time teacher at Central, but also from UofL law students who have taught Street Law and Marshall Brennan Constitutional Literacy classes to law and government magnet students. To Rudolph, a 2009 Central graduate who is Black, having law school students, some of whom looked like him, teaching classes enhanced his love for the law and gave him the confidence he needed to keep law school as a goal.

“Talking to UofL students who weren’t too much older than me was easier and more comfortable,” Rudolph said. “I could ask them ‘Is law school attainable? Can I do it?’ and they would assure me it was hard but attainable. The UofL students, Dean Rothstein and Mr. Gutmann inspired me.”

And Rudolph eventually became one of those UofL law students teaching the next generation of legal and civic leaders at Central High School. After getting an undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and taking a good paying job in manufacturing, Rudolph refocused on his goal and was accepted into Brandeis School of Law. In his second and third years at UofL’s law school, he taught Street Law to Central sophomores and constitutional law (Marshall Brennan class) to seniors. He calls it a rewarding learning experience for both him and the high school students.

“It was only right that I give back,” Rudolph said. “Students would say ‘he looks like me and dresses like me, it’s not so far-fetched that I could do that.’ Those are the same things I thought as a Central student.”

Rudolph is now a practicing attorney with����in Louisville.

As for his brother, he took a different path, graduating from Central High and Eastern Kentucky University and becoming a successful personal trainer. The dream of ‘Rudolph and Rudolph – Attorneys at Law’ is gone but Brandon’s lifelong goal of becoming a lawyer has been realized with a hand from the partnership between Central High School and the UofL Brandeis School of Law.

Story provided by Jefferson County Public Schools.��

Now 20 years strong, the relationship of the two schools illuminates the value UofL places on community engagement. The Cardinal influence through��Central’s law magnet��represents a cornerstone of UofL’s Signature Partnership Initiative in west Louisville.��

During a Louisville Bar Association event celebrating the partnership this month, Rothstein received an award as the 2021 LBA Diversity Trailblazer. UofL News caught up with her to talk about her life’s work through the partnership.��

UofL News: Why did you become involved in the Central High School partnership?��

Rothstein:��I had gone to law school because of my interest in social justice and race and gender issues, so this was a program that was a priority for me from the beginning. The goal of the program was not just to create a pipeline of students to becoming lawyers, but to encourage these high school students to become civically engaged and active citizens and leaders in other ways. Initially, the program involved an essay contest, and having Central students visit the law school or attend special events.������

UofL News: How did the program evolve over time?��

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��In��2005, after Joe Gutmann became the Law and Government Magnet teacher at Central, we decided to do more than ‘spark the interest,’ but to build the skills through having law students teach at Central. After I left the deanship in which I had served from 2000 to 2005, I was able to devote more time to developing and enhancing the program. I have also worked with the principals at Central and various departments on campus to replicate similar partnerships. ��

UofL News:��What impact do you hope to make on these high school students?����

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��We��want them not just to become lawyers, we want them to be engaged civically.��The questionnaires at the end of the year indicate that this goal has been met. They are more aware of and interested in current events. They have developed skills of analytical thinking and improved writing and communication skills that are useful in any higher education context and in life generally.��Central graduates credit Joe Gutmann with giving them the confidence to succeed in college and beyond.��

UofL News:��Do you know how many students involved in the Central High School Law and Government Magnet program went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree?����

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��I think there have been 35 Central graduates who have become (or will become) lawyers. I am counting three who are expected to graduate in 2022. We also know of at least two who plan to apply to law school in the next year or two.��

It’s important to note that many of the law magnet graduates have also gone on to other significant professional careers and to obtain other graduate and professional degrees. For example, graduates since the partnership began include students who’ve earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics, a Master in Business, a Master in Public Health and a PhD Candidate in Pan African studies at UofL. Additionally, several individuals have become teachers.��������

UofL News:��Why is it a great opportunity for law students to be involved in teaching the high schoolers?������

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��We began an enhanced program in 2007 by incorporating law student taught coursework – Street Law for sophomores, Writing Skills for juniors, and Marshall-Brennan Civil Liberties for seniors. Each year about 25 law students receive public service and/or academic credit for this work. At the end of the year, law students often note that the experience has been eye-opening and many say it is the best thing they did in law school.��������

UofL News:��Why is this program and partnership with UofL so important?������

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��It is of value to both Central and UofL students, and it highlights the value that UofL places on community engagement with Louisville and the West End through its Signature Partnership Initiative, part of the UofL Office of Community Engagement.������

UofL News:��What is the future of the program?������

��dzٳ���ٱ𾱲�:��We would like to add a program at the undergraduate level where Central students who attend UofL stay connected and engage in other activities. This includes things like staying involved with the law school, preparing for the LSAT and remaining connected with each other. Since the program began, there has been a significant increase in the number of Central High Law Magnet students attending and graduating from law schools. These law schools include UofL, UK, Washington University St. Louis and University of Chicago. We also continue to work with other UofL departments to develop similar partnerships at Central.������

��

“Tuesday was calculus exam day and, so, I was at the by 7:45 a.m. every Tuesday,” said Mitchell, who is on the autism spectrum. “The major thing for me was to have some extra time to take the test. Sometimes I think differently and tend to look at other things (when taking an exam) that can cause me to go down a rabbit hole.”

Now a senior, Mitchell has maintained a 4.0 grade point average and is on track to graduate in May, 2021.

“The DRC helped me so much. It has directly helped facilitate that 4.0,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is among the thousands of college students protected by the , a landmark law that turned 30 this year. The law prohibits discrimination based on disability and has reshaped the nation’s infrastructure and attitudes concerning equal access and opportunity.

UofL law professor , an expert on the ADA, said colleges were well prepared to comply with the ruling many years before it became law.

“That is because higher education had been subject to part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,” said Rothstein. This pre-ADA law mandated that any agency that receives federal dollars must provide equal access for all persons.

Indeed, UofL opened its first office dedicated to helping those with disabilities 12 years prior to the ADA said Colleen Martin, who heads the DRC.

In those early years, the primary focus was to help those with physical disabilities. But in recent decades, the unit’s role has morphed and expanded considerably.

“Today, the vast majority of students who come to us are students with invisible disabilities, such as ADHD, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, chronic health conditions, autism spectrum disorders and others,” Martin said.

“We now serve approximately 700 students per year. DRC tailors services to the needs of each student. Common accommodations include things like testing accommodations, supplemental note takers, textbooks in alternate format, access to assistive technology, etc. We also help promote awareness of disability in our campus community and provide advocacy for students with disabilities and their access needs.”

For Mitchell, the DRC was indeed an advocate. He says his academic confidence has translated into greater self-confidence—including being more comfortable in social situations.

“Coming here has launched me from someone who was clueless to being at the top of my class and even mentoring others,” said Mitchell.

Lewis was the first female law dean at the University of Louisville, serving in that position from 1982-1990. After she left the dean’s office, she returned to the faculty, where she mostly taught tax law, until her retirement in 2006. Even after retirement, she continued as an adjunct professor until 2014.

Linda Ewald, a retired professor at the Brandeis School of Law and an associate dean under Lewis, provided information about Lewis’ life and career:

Lewis earned bachelor’s and JD degrees from the University of Louisville, a master’s in education from Tennessee Technological University and a Master of Law and Taxation from the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.

Before her career in legal education, Lewis worked as an attorney for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, as a probation officer for the Jefferson County Juvenile Court and as a teacher in Honduras and Guatemala.

Her true passion was the law and education, and following her graduation from William and Mary, she taught at Cumberland School of Law and the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where she also served as chair of the faculty senate and as interim dean.

Born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, Lewis returned to her Kentucky roots in 1982 when she and her husband, Jim, came to Louisville, where she became dean of the Brandeis School of Law. ��

Lewis was a trailblazer in legal education. She was one of only a handful of women students in her law school class and at the time she was named dean at UofL there were only five other women law deans nationwide. During her tenure as dean, she built bridges within the community and the profession and served on a number of boards, including the Center for Women and Families, the Department of Public Advocacy, the Louisville and Kentucky Bar Foundations, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU and Citizens for Better Judges. ��

As dean, and later as a professor, she worked tirelessly to promote diversity in the law school and the profession. She served on many national boards, including the Council on Legal ����ֱ�� Opportunity, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession and the Law School Admissions Council Task Force on Minority Recruitment, as well as numerous local and state-wide initiatives relating to access and diversity in the legal profession. ��

While Lewis enjoyed the challenges of the deanship, she missed daily contact with students. In 1990 she returned to pursue her passion, classroom teaching.

Mostly, she taught tax. When asked why anyone would teach tax, she would respond with, “I just love the Internal Revenue Code.”

As a professor, she was tough, demanding and had no patience with slackers. She felt strongly about the importance of attendance, preparedness and promptness. She was a stickler for all three. Lewis expected students to be respectful, responsible, collegial and professional. Students who complained about the difficulty of the tax code or the length of an assignment generally got the same response from her: “Life is tough.” On occasion, she was known to make the same observation in faculty meetings.

Despite the heavy demands Lewis placed on students, and the fact that some students found her a bit intimidating, she cared deeply about them personally and about their professional success.

She taught them tax but, more importantly, she taught them about the values of the legal profession and what it means to be a professional. She was a mentor and role model to generations of students.

When she announced her retirement in 2006, the Student Bar Association created a special teaching award in her honor and recognized her at graduation. Throughout her career she received many awards for her leadership and community service, but the awards she received from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Louisville for excellence in teaching were the ones she valued most.

Barbara Lewis loved the law and she was devoted to her students. Several years ago, upon receiving a Kentucky Bar Association Award, she said, “I have always thought that to be a lawyer is a great calling. It is a great service, and to teach lawyers is great privilege.”

She embraced the calling, served the community and profession with distinction and taught her heart out every single day.�� A life well lived. She will be missed.��

Brandeis School of Law Professor Laura Rothstein, who served as the law school’s second female dean (2000-2005), shared this letter she wrote to Lewis in 2007:

Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, is��developing the��.

The academy will provide academic and technical courses needed for successful transition to postsecondary education and careers in professions that ensure the safety, security and wellness of the community, according to the high school.��Upon graduation, students will have law and public safety literacy and other critical knowledge and skills that will prepare them for careers in law and public safety.

In June,��Sherry Hildebrandt, a teacher at Bethel, was preparing to lead a group of four Bethel students to Louisville for the annual SkillsUSA conference. SkillsUSA is a��national membership organization serving middle school, high school and college/postsecondary students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.

While researching their Louisville trip, Hildebrandt learned about the��,��an effort between Louisville’s Central High School and the Brandeis School of Law to promote diversity in the legal profession.

Hildebrandt contacted the law school to see if she could learn more about the partnership while she was in Louisville, and Professor Laura Rothstein, who has coordinated the program for the law school, agreed to meet with the group.

The visit included a tour of the law school and a discussion of how the program works.

As part of the tour, the students were shown the portrait of Justice Louis Brandeis by Rob Shetterly. Rothstein told the group that that Shetterly’s��daughter-in-law, Margot Lee Shetterly, was the author of��Hidden Figures,��the book that inspired the recent award-winning movie. Coincidentally, much of that story takes place in Hampton, Virginia.��