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Supreme Court to hold summer pre-law program
The CNMI Supreme Court plans to conduct the Judiciary Summer Pre-Law Program in June-July 2020 provided there is sufficient interest from college students.
The pre-law program, which will run for three weeks, provides participants with the opportunity to experience academic life of a first-year law student. Law professors will teach two introductory law courses, supplemented with legal writing and appellate argument components.
Since its inception in 1991, the pre-law program has seen over 32 participants obtain their juris doctor degree from law schools across the nation, and most have returned to the Northern Marianas to work as prosecutors, defense counsel, private practitioners, and judges.
The intensive pre-law program was last held in July 2014 with 14 participants. Professor Robert J. Desiderio of the University of New Mexico School of Law and vice dean and professor Rose Cuison-Villazor of Rutgers Law School taught introductory Contracts and Property.
The 2014 class produced the following five students, their law school graduation year, and current employment:
Anthony H. Aguon, (2018) University of San Francisco School of Law and School of Management (Tinian Jr.-Sr. High School), law clerk to Associate Judge Wesley M. Bogdan, NMI Superior Court.
Carmen V. Bads (2019) University of New Mexico School of Law (Saipan Southern High School), studying and sitting for the February 2020 CNMI Bar Examination.
Savana V. Manglona, (2019) University of California Davis School of Law (Mount Cannel School), attorney at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in Sacramento, California.
Janina Maratita, (2017) Lewis & Clark Law School (Saipan Southern High School), policy analyst at the Office of the Governor, Northern Mariana Islands.
Gretchen A. Smith, (2018) University of California Davis School of Law (Marianas High School), clerk of court for the Supreme Court of the Northern Mariana Islands. (PR)
