Barrack Legal Counsel
Barrack Legal Counsel raises money for competitive legal programs and learning opportunities so that cost is not a barrier to student participation.
Consisting of Barrack alumni, parents, and community members, the Barrack Legal Counsel is dedicated to creating networking and professional development opportunities for members along with providing guidance and support for students interested in pursuing legal careers.
National Mock Trial Club Competitions
Barrack upper school students have the opportunity to compete in the Pennsylvania state mock trial competition where they take on roles as witnesses, plaintiffs, and defendants to argue a hypothetical case, developing their critical thinking skills, learning about the court system, and working together as a team to win their case.
Maimonides Moot Beit Din
Through a program sponsored by the Hadar Institute, upper school students have the opportunity to compete against other Jewish schools across the country as they argue a hypothetical case that they research and rule on as a court. Students selected to attend the national competition defend the ruling of the “Moot Din of B’nei Barrack”’ in front of a panel of judges, giving students real-world experience in ethics and research while infusing their decision-making with Jewish values. The topic varies by year and has previously touched on themes ranging from social media use to animal and labor rights.
10th grade Washington, D.C. Curricular Trip
Students learn about the power of advocacy and representation on a visit to the nation’s capital where the students will learn about various policy issues and about how the government works. The visit culminates with students going to Capitol Hill to lobby at the offices of their senator or representative about issues they care about. This trip is also an important part of their history curriculum that examines the development of representative government.
Past Programs Include
Upper School Career Day
Co-hosted by our Affinity Groups/Legal Counsel as well as parents, alumni, and members of the community, this event brings speakers to share their career journeys and insights with upper school students about their careers advice to our students and gives members an opportunity to connect and network.
CLE Class on “Jewish Wisdom at Work”
As part of our continuing legal education offerings, the Legal Counsel sponsored a continuing legal education class to community members seeking CLE credits. The 2-credit class featured Rabbi Marshall Lesack ‘97, Head of School, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, as well as Dr. Zev Eleff, President, Gratz College to discuss the values and ethics that guide Jewish legal professionals.
Discussion on “An Exclusive Conversation on Resiliency”
Featuring Steve Collis, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), this program on resiliency discussed medical pandemic responses and the evolving global pharma industry.
Barrack Legal Counsel Committee Members
Co-Chairs
Bradley Sandler
Committee Members
Jeffrey A. Barrack
Jeremy Goodman ‘15
Stu Goodman
Jason Hess
Staci Julie
Honorable Vikki Kristiansson
Jonathan Levin
Beth Levine ‘83
Joelle Polesky
Hyla Rosenberg
Shira Katz Scanlon '02
Bruce Strong '06
Amy Ufberg
Interested in joining the Barrack Legal Counsel?
For more information, please contact Rachel Baum, Senior Institutional Advancement Officer by phone at 610.922.2335 or by email at rbaum@jbha.org.
Contact
RACHEL BAUM
Senior Institutional
Advancement Officer
Advancement Officer
RANDI BUTOW
Development Associate