May 11, 2001
Mock trials begin at Law School next week to give teens a taste of justice system
The woman who goes on trial next week for murdering her husband will claim that he was an abuser and she killed him in self-defense.
Even if she loses the case, however, she won’t go to prison. The defendant, like the prosecutor, jurors and defense attorney, will be a Seattle-area high school student taking part in a mock trial through the University of Washington’s Street Law Program.
UW law students teach in eight area high schools — employing vivid, interactive techniques — to impart in young people basic principles of the American legal system, said Julia Ann Gold, a law professor who heads the UW program.
“The ultimate goal,” Gold said, “is to provide these high school students with a sense of belonging in society through empowering them with knowledge of the law.”
The upcoming mock trials — which will be held in Condon Hall, home of the UW Law School — are the culmination of a full semester of teaching by the 24 law students at high school government, American history and business law classes. Before they begin, the law students undergo a monthlong course in teaching techniques, especially in role-playing, simulations and other interactive strategies.
The law students work with more than 300 high school students annually, covering topics that include the court system, consumer law, criminal law, family law and landlord-tenant law.
By demystifying the law, Gold said, Street Law allows young people to develop a more realistic attitude and a deeper understanding of the principles underlying democracy.
The mock trials over the next two weeks will call upon the high school students to play all roles except that of the judge, who is a real judge or attorney. The case is designed, Gold said, so either side can prevail.
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For more information or to arrange to attend a mock trial, contact Gold at (206) 543-3434, julgold@u.washington.edu Street Law assistant Kimberly “Dom” Hawks at (206) 543-3450, dhawks@u.washington.edu or Assistant Law Dean Paula Littlewood at (206) 685-1998, pcl@u.washington.edu. The Web site is www.law.washington.edu/streetlaw/
The UW Law School is located in Condon Hall, 1100 N.E. Campus Parkway, two blocks west of the intersection of University Avenue Northeast and Northeast Campus Parkway.
Here are the days when mock trials are scheduled, and the schools involved:
ƒá Monday, May 14, 10:30-12:30 — Rainier Beach
ƒá Monday, May 14, 12:30-2:30 — Rainier Beach
ƒá Tuesday, May 15, 10:30-12:30 — Nathan Hale
ƒá Tuesday, May 15, 12:30-2:30 — Nathan Hale
ƒá Wednesday, May 16, 10:30-12:30 — Franklin
ƒá Tuesday, May 22, 10:30-12:30 — Redmond
ƒá Wednesday, May 23, 10:30-12:30 — Chief Sealth
ƒá Wednesday, May 23, 12:30-2:30 — Summit
ƒá Thursday, May 24, 10:30-12:30 — Chief Sealth
ƒá Friday, May 25, 8:15-10:15 — Garfield
ƒá Friday, May 25, 10:15-12:15 — Garfield
