Fifty Kinkaid students traveled to the Hotel ZaZa in the Museum District on Feb. 27 and participated in a mock trial program hosted by the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm.
During the mock trial, students served on a practice jury as the last step for future attorneys to get certified to practice professionally.
The trip was led by Dr. Ed Harris, Director of the Gordy Family Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Finance. Students experienced what a real courtroom feels like, and the trip gave a glimpse into a potential career path.
“The trip taught me a lot about what a career in law would look like,” junior Jason Zhang said. “I didn’t know too much about the field prior to the trip, but I gained a lot of knowledge during it. Overall, I found the experience to be very fulfilling and fun.”
For students like senior Kaveen Shah, the mock trial program provided a real-life experience in a field of interest.
“I’ve been looking to go into something related to the law field, but I have never gotten the chance to experience what a courtroom really feels like,” Shah said.
The trial taught students about the process of a courtroom trial and gave young attorneys valuable insight.
“This experience made me more likely to go into law school in the future,” freshman Rohan Shah said.
After students listened to the trial, they gathered together, discussed the intricacies of the case, and came up with a final decision as a collective jury.
“There was a lot of deliberation about the trial, and the decision was pretty complicated for my group,” junior Andrew Lian said.
Then, they gave comments and feedback to the attorneys on what they did well and what they could have done better.
“It felt good giving feedback because we actually had an impact on the attorneys and their decisions in the future,” junior Charlie Yang said. “They appreciated the feedback we gave to them.”
