For three hours, virtually all of Michigan's 71 first-term state Senators and Representatives, received unique insights into the public policy process through a first-ever "Law School for Legislators" sponsored by the State Bar of Michigan.

With term limits, about 60 percent of House members are newly elected. With a three-term limit on House service, no returning member has more than four years tenure. In addition to having a majority of members with no previous state legislative experience, the House also has a shortage of attorneys to provide a legal perspective on legislation. For the first time in modern history a majority of House Judiciary Committee members will be non-attorneys, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Judiciary will be chaired by a non-lawyer.

The "Law School" was presented by the Bar to help new legislators quickly assimilate the subtleties involved in taking an idea from inception to enactment.

"Our presentation went far beyond our high school civics lesson in the formal steps in the lawmaking process," noted State Bar of Michigan President J. Thomas Lenga. "We went past the formal steps of enacting a law to look at the human dynamics involved in molding public policy. We noted the role of the Attorney General and the courts in the public policy process. We also looked at the realities behind the erroneous perception that every issue is a partisan or ideological battleground."

The Law School was presented as a forum moderated by Harvard law professor Arthur Miller, an expert on civil procedure who is known to the public for hosting public affairs shows on PBS. He established a hypothetical set of facts, and utilized a blue-ribbon panel to extemporize a "play" based on the scenario.

The panel included four veteran legislators, leaders of two large special interest organizations, a professional lobbyist, a journalist, Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Charles Levin.

The concept of a one-day briefing for legislators originated with George A. Googasian during his tenure as President-elect of the State Bar in 1991-92. He was joined as co-chair of the Law School for Legislators Committee by Steven R. Heacock of Grand Rapids. They brought together legislative leaders and staff, educators and State Bar leaders and staff to design the program. The program was videotaped by public television. Tapes of the three-hour session will be widely available, and an edited version of the seminar may be televised.

Michigan's initiative is being eagerly watched across the nation. Lenga has already made presentations on the program to national bar groups. In addition, the Law School for Legislators was featured in a December article in National Law Journal. Additional stories are slated for publications of the American Bar Association.