Law Day 2012 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Take part in this free program - in your school - with the Elementary School Mock Trials.
 
The Elementary School Mock Trials are a free program offered by the Ontario Bar Association. Individual lawyers or teams of lawyers are encouraged to present this program at an elementary school of their choosing. Volunteers who have no preference as to which school they attend will be matched with a school as they become available. The program is presented on two separate days with a time commitment of about 60 minutes on Day 1 and 90 minutes on Day 2.

Prior to Day 1, the teacher will have assigned the various roles of jury, witnesses, lawyers, etc. to their students.  On Day 1, the lawyers attend the classroom and provide the students with an overview of the Canadian Criminal Justice System, introduce the fact scenario for the mock trial, and then ‘walk through’ the various duties of the jurors, the witnesses and the lawyers.  It is helpful to spend some time with the lawyers to guide them in their preparation for Day 2.  About a week later, the lawyers re-attend the classroom to preside over the trial.  Ideally, the trial will occur during Law Week, which in 2012 will run from April 16th to 20th.  In classes where two lawyers volunteer, one can preside as judge while the other lawyer acts as ‘consultant’ in the event the various participants need some gentle direction during the mock trial.  This second lawyer also acts as ‘jury consultant’ to keep the jury deliberations focused and timely. 

To Register:
Teachers, students, or lawyers who would like to sign up for the 2012 Elementary Mock Trial should do on or before Friday, March 2, 2012. Please provide your name, telephone number, e-mail and full mailing address to Filippo Conte at fconte@oba.org.