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LIA offers interested classroom teachers and other groups a real life trial
experience for high school age students. Students play the roles of prosecutors and defense in cases prepared by LIA volunteers.
LIA also offers an analysis and discussion of the trial in To Kill A Mockingbird. Contact Law In Action for more information.
Mock Trial 2010
We put on an excellent mock trial program on July 11th at the Greenville Municipal Court. The student lawyers from
the "Bridges to a Brighter Future" program at Furman University did a good job, and of course, our splendid volunteers made the two trials come alive. The murder
trial of Corey Jackson ended in manslaughter in Courtroom 1 and murder in Courtroom 2.
After the verdicts were in, LIA sponsored a reception for all of the Bridges students and volunteers. Over 100 attended.
Clearly, the Bridges students and LIA were a good match. LIA thanks all of our volunteers who were jurors, witnesses, judges, and coaches. As usual,
LIA board members rose to the occasion.
Mock Trial 2009
In May 2009 we had another successful mock trial with students from the Greenville Urban League handling the attorney roles. This event was held at Furman University for the first time and was an exceptional venue. We had excellent student lawyers on both sides of the aisle, both prosecuting and defending, and great volunteer judges, jurors, and witnesses as usual.
If you are interested in becoming a mock trial volunteer or have a group of high school age students who would like to participate, send an email to Steve Henry, Law in Action director at sjhlaw@sjhlaw.com. Law in Action usually holds 1-2 mock trials annually.
Student attorneys Christian Boucher, Lexis Landrum, Sterling Gibson, and Nick Stewart flank "Judge" Patrick
Mangrum while waiting for the jury verdict at the 2009 competition at Furman University.
Mock Trial 2008: A Great Success!
"Attorney Steve Henry and Law in Action held a mock trial on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at the Greenville Municipal Court. The local chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators helped sponsor the event by providing morning refreshments and a few of our chapter members served as volunteer participants. Students from Southside High School served as Prosecutors and Defense attorneys. Local attorneys served as judges and advisors. Volunteer participants served as jurors, witnesses, and defendants. I was cast in the role as a defendant and it was an eye-opening experience. The student attorneys representing me were prepared and aware of the facts surrounding the case. Many volunteer participants commented to me that the mock trial was informative as well as a lot of fun. Some expressed an interest in participating in future events.
This experience provided some insight on court procedures and the necessary preparation from both attorneys: prosecutor and defense. Your attorney is your life line in the court and the criminal justice process."
Jinny Moran, Captain
County Records Manager
Student Defense Attorney Jazmine Brown conducts a brutal cross-examination of "detective" Russell Smith at the 2008 competition.
With the
help of the Greenville Municipal Court, located at 426 North Main Street in
Greenville, and over 80 adult volunteers, Law In Action provides a ready to go,
true to life trial court experience for high school students.
With many
years of mock trial experience, Law in Action has a bank of trial cases from
which teachers and community leaders can choose for their kids. We focus on
criminal cases but are also able upon request to set up mock appellate court
cases on key constitutional issues, etc. Our website has a listing of a few
examples of the criminal cases we have presented in the past (click
here for the listing).
For
teachers or community leaders who are interested in the Mock Trial program, the
key elements needed to prepare their kids are already in place. Law in Action
provides the courtrooms, the jurors, the judges, the witnesses, the materials
and the training. The teachers and community leaders need only provide the kids
and their time.
The
average time to train high school students for one of our trials is about 3-4
hours. We can do the training at a school, community center or if the group
does not have a suitable place, we can ask the city court to use one of its
courtrooms.
The
trials are handled during a one-day Saturday session at the Greenville Municipal
Court.
For
teachers or community leaders who are interested in the educational benefits of
a mock trial, contact Law in Action at 232-9700 and please visit our website:
www.sclia.org.
Austin McMillan
(student participant)
"I thought the program was very interesting and beneficial to me because it really opened up my eyes to a different career path that I had not yet thought about pursuing. Through my participation in Mock Trial, I had the opportunity to experience a taste of what being a lawyer is all about. I thought it was very interesting to play a role in an actual case and present my defense to the jury as well as to a real judge. Having experienced the actual process of a trial first hand, I will definitely watch the show Law and Order a little more closely from now on!"
Myia Linsdey
(student participant)
"Mock Trial was a very fun an exciting experiment, and I enjoyed the opportunity! It took a lot of hard work, but in the end it paid off... even though I didn't win!"
Katie Cheshire
(student participant)
"It was a really good experience.
It made me look at the law and understand it differently. I could see it
through lawyers' eyes."
Connor McCraw (student participant)
"The trial was one of the most challenging things I did in [Mrs. Teague's]
class, but the experience was well worth the work."
Jackie Teague (teacher participant)
"Participating in LIA's mock trial program really helped my Honors English I
class of eighth graders to think and act in new and interesting ways.
Steve Henry has always spoken at Bryson Middle School as part of the unit on
To Kill a Mockingbird, and the students have always enjoyed learning about
the law from him. This year, however, was the first time they actually
assumed the roles of attorneys and "tried a case." They found the experience to
be challenging, enlightening and a little scary. But they all
said they had learned from it. They showed how much
they had learned, in fact, when a short time later they had a spontaneous
discussion over whether Romeo (of Romeo and Juliet) is guilty of murder or
manslaughter when he avenges his best friend's death.
My students all agree that they have
gained a better understanding of the justice system. Young people often
say they want to be lawyers because they are "good at arguing" or they "like to
argue." These twenty-one young people now realize that the law is not
about arguing; it is about preparing and persuading. I believe they have
become better students and thinkers because of having had this experience."
In addition to mock trials, Law In Action offers
teachers and interested groups presentations on other legal education topics,
including an analysis of the State v. Tom Robinson trial in To Kill A Mockingbird (click
here for article). These presentations provide classrooms with a hands
on experience that students are sure to remember.
For further information regarding Mock Trials, please see the
following articles:
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