Students and members of the public listen to a case being argued, at the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals’ session in the Frank Center on Sept. 16. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Judge Daniel Greear remembers when he first developed an interest in the law, as a middle schooler growing up in Kanawha County.

“In Kanawha County, there was a week-long program called Sheriff’s Camp, where you learned about civics and government,” Greear said. “There was a mock trial during that week — the Kanawha County prosecutor and defense attorney came in and put on a mock trial. I personally have no family that have been lawyers and had never been really exposed to that, so that really was my first exposure to law as a possible profession.”

Greear, in fact, credits that experience at camp, for leading him into a successful career in the legal field.

“It was what peaked my interest and curiosity. Exploring that further led me to law school and where I am today,” Greear said.

On Tuesday, Greear could be found providing a similar experience with the judicial process to high school and college students from throughout the Eastern Panhandle, as he and the other members of his judicial panel, Judge Ryan White and Chief Judge Charles Lorensen, oversaw a session of the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) in the Frank Center at Shepherd University. Around a hundred students registered to attend the session, from Blue Ridge Community College & Technical College, Hedgesville High School, Musselman High School, St. Joseph School, Spring Mills High School, Jefferson High School and Shepherd. An additional hundred registrants were general members of the public, including a number of lawyers and judges from the Eastern Panhandle.

Assistant Attorney General Sandra Walls, left, listens to Blackwater Law PLLC attorney Jeremy Cooper answer a question posed by an audience member, at the end of their arguments, during the second case of the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals’ session in the Frank Center on Sept. 16. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“This is part of the court’s overall civics education program, to help give students a firsthand experience, witnessing the judiciary in action,” said Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA) of West Virginia Communications Director Jared Hunt. “The court hopes that events like this will help inspire students to potentially pursue a career in the law or public service.”

The program involves one session of each ICA term being held at a different four-year college in the state.

“The Supreme Court has programs where they’ll go to WVU (West Virginia University) School of Law and Marshall and argue their cases at those universities. They’ll also reach out to high school programs in different locations around the state,” Greear said. “When our court was formed in 2021, we noticed there was kind of a void there at the four-year colleges, so we established a program to rotate around the four-year colleges in the state. We think it’s an opportunity to expose their students to seeing attorneys in action, to seeing the judicial branch of government in action and to maybe exposing them to some things they would never otherwise get to see.”

To-date, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Glenville State University and Davis & Elkins College have hosted a similar session as the one held at Shepherd, with another session being planned for West Liberty University in the spring. Through working together with the schools and their partner institutions — Shepherd University and the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications, in the most recent session’s case — the program will improve understanding and interest in the judicial process and legal field for generations to come.

“We’re excited to offer this opportunity to our students and community,” said Stubblefield Institute Executive Director Ashley Horst. “It’s not too often that we can bring Charleston to the Eastern Panhandle.”

Members of the Jefferson High School Air Force ROTC present the colors, as two St. Joseph School high school students lead the pledge of allegiance, at the beginning of the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals session in the Frank Center on Sept. 16. Photo by Tabitha Johnston