The Loudoun County Bar Association supports community programs that impact Loudoun County residents while advancing the role of the legal profession in our community. Our signature, award winning program is the Thomas D. Horne Leadership in the Law Program. We have also provided grant funding to several community organizations including the Beat the Odds Program.

Please click HERE if you are interested in learning more about our grant application process, and if you wish to apply for a grant for a community organization or program that supports our mission.

The Thomas D. Horne Leadership in the Law Program (www.lawcamp.org) provides students with a unique opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about the legal system. It is designed to afford rising high school students the opportunity to work with local judges, lawyers, law clerks and other professionals to learn about the law, and applicants should be well-rounded individuals who are motivated and eager to learn.

Participants in the program will be introduced to the practice of criminal and civil law, courtroom procedures, crime scene investigation and the handling and preservation of evidence. Instruction and hands-on demonstrations are provided by experienced practitioners and team-building skills are emphasized throughout the program. Student will also participate in recreational activities which, in past years included a rope course, volleyball, soccer, rafting and salsa dancing.

Student legal teams will receive a case outline, study the facts, visit the crime scene, interview witnesses and experts, analyze evidence, develop exhibits and prepare witnesses and experts for trial. The program will culminate in a jury trial in which students assume the roles of lawyers. A sitting Circuit Court Judge will preside over the trial.

Students will stay overnight at the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia and will be transported daily to the Courthouse Complex in Leesburg for active participation in the legal system. Due to the support of the Fauquier and Loudoun County Bar Associations, as well as private donations, the program is offered to students at no cost.

The Beat the Odds® program for youth, Loudoun County Chapter
A Scholarship Program for At-Risk Youth in Loudoun County

The Beat the Odds® program identifies local youth who have demonstrated the ability to succeed in spite of being  at risk for failure because of their environment or life circumstances.  The program seeks to improve their odds for success by providing financial awards to assist them in pursuing educational and vocational goals. Loudoun’s Chapter was started In 2004 through the efforts of the Loudoun County Bar Association and other Loudoun County agencies.

Beat the Odds® is a nationally recognized project initiated in 1990 by the Children’s Defense Fund.  The program celebrates the positive potential of youth who do well and succeed despite facing such problems as poverty, violence, homelessness, family breakup or substance abuse.

Read about the 2015 award ceremony here !

 

Scholarship Eligibility

For the Beat the Odds® scholarship program, students must be a high school senior and clients or former clients of one of the following organizations or agencies: the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court; the Juvenile Court Services Unit; the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services; the Community Services Board; or the Department of Social Services.  Selected students must have displayed marked improvement in their grades, participated in community service activities and/or aided in the support of their family.  They should be remarkable young men and women who show the potential to be valuable members of our community, if only given the opportunity.  Applications for interested students are currently available at all Loudoun County high schools, with an application deadline in mid-April each year.

Donations

The Beat the Odds® Committee is currently soliciting tax deductible donations of funds, goods, or services to support this new program.  If you or your organization would like to donate to or sponsor this program, please print and use the linked Donation Form, or feel free to contact Matt Snow at 703-779-2000 or [email protected].  Any donations by check should be made payable to the “Loudoun Bar Foundation” with “Beat the Odds” in the notation.