Students brave enough to dip their toes into the waters of law participated in a handful of mock trials.
These students were a part of the Norton Rose Fulbright Mock Trial Program, a program with a history of over 35 years. Within this program, lawyers at the Norton Rose Fulbright firm participate in sessions that prepare students for real-life court cases.
“One of the biggest challenges as an attorney is getting courtroom experience, and the one thing that is essential is having a feel for the experience before you’re actually in there representing a client,” Dr. Ed Harris said. “It’s interesting. Very few firms actually do what Norton Rose does.”
Dr. Harris is not only the director of Kinkaid’s Gordy Family Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Finance, he also has a past in law.
“This was my own personal experience at the law firm that I started out is that the firm will take on ‘pro bono’ clients, where they’ll represent clients for free, and take on all of the expenses of the litigation and use that in return as a vehicle to give young attorneys courtroom experience,” Dr. Harris said. “But, you get what you pay for. If you’re not paying for the attorneys, you’re going to get young inexperienced attorneys in the courtroom.”
The Norton Rose Fulbright firm has taken a different approach. Lawyers go through all phases of the courtroom in a relatively low-stakes situation and do not have the responsibility of representing a real client; however, senior partners of the firm act as judges.
After a few days of analyzing other cases and receiving feedback from senior partners, lawyers were given about two days to prepare for their side of the case.
For the past 25 years, Kinkaid students have served as jurors in the case, among other Houston high school students. However, Dr. Harris knew people at Norton Rose Fulbright (formerly Norton Rose) and worked to exclusively allow Kinkaid students as jurors.
“I think that mock trial benefits the lawyers by really helping them get an outside perspective on their skills,” senior Molly Dinerstein said. “As students, we have a unique view that coincides more with jurors than their fellow lawyers have. We are able to use our insights to help give these young lawyers real practice.”
The knowledge gained does not stop there.
“I feel that mock trial impacts students by really teaching them how trials and the legal profession work. I think it also teaches students how to listen and make judgments unbiasedly, which they can apply to everyday life,” Dinerstein added.
Dr. Harris shared a similar view.
“Students experience the critical, durable skills of effective communication and critical analysis,” he said. “When you think about the scripting, the choreographing, and the putting together of a coherent narrative of the trial story by attorneys, you don’t realize how involved the jury’s part is. But, as it comes together, all of a sudden the students realize that they are responsible for making a decision here.” The trial’s introduction to both law and the courtroom not only helps students develop such skills but also gives them an insight into law and how juries reach decisions.
