Elizabeth Balfour believes teaching at-risk children about the legal system is more than just education on courtroom procedure. It is about reconsidering one’s place in the world, and it works whether you are in the fourth grade or a Harvard trained corporate securities litigator.

Balfour, an associate in the Del Mar Heights office of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, was a key player in the development of a mock trial video program for kids in fourth through sixth grades that has been approved by the 9th Circuit for distribution across the circuit. “I don’t usually have the opportunity to reflect about or focus on the lawyer’s role in society,” says Balfour.

Balfour co-chairs the program by the San Diego County Bar Association’s Children at Risk Committee, which enables children to experience firsthand the responsibility and discretion of an American jury, including the fact that there is no answer sheet. Lawyers who volunteer get to see what kind of difference they can make for a child with few or no professional role models, says Balfour.

Balfour, 31, also serves on a task force of legal, social welfare and medical providers that sponsors the annual Women’s Resource Fair for women who are homeless or in shelters. Balfour, and her husband, David, sit on the advisory board of Genesis Expeditions, a nonprofit organization that works to enrich the lives of orphans living in Mexico through activities like hiking and horseback riding.

He represents health care professionals in medical malpractice and medical board defense cases.

The couple enjoys sailing with the San Diego Yacht Club. Balfour also runs and belongs to a book club of professional San Diego women.