The Atlanta Lawyer April 2012 | Page 7

law day Law Day 2012 By Stacy Rieke Georgia Mock Trial Coordinator, State Bar of Georgia T he courts are essential to a free society and the courts belong to everybody. Those are only two of the many important law-related concepts volunteer attorney coaches across Georgia teach students involved in the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition each school year. The Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition is a project of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, and since 1988, thousands of Georgia students in hundreds of Georgia high schools statewide have benefited from working with local attorneys, judges and teachers through this academic program. The program provides schools a unique opportunity to connect and collaborate with their local legal community to give high school students an inside perspective of the legal system, providing them with an understanding of the mechanism through which society chooses to resolve many of its disputes. Students participate in the program by taking on the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a court case. The type of competition case varies from year to year, therefore, students are able to learn about both criminal and civil law and procedure. Attorney and teacher coaches assist students in developing and improving their critical thinking and oral advocacy skills, while encouraging students to hone basic life skills such as reading, writing and reasoning. Students involved on a competitive mock trial team also enhance their leadership skills, as well as their goal setting, strategic planning and implementation, professionalism and constructive argumentative skills. These skills will stand them in good stead throughout their lives, regardless of their chosen career path. This year’s Law Day theme is “No Courts – No Justice – No Freedom” and participation in the high school mock trial program improves student understanding of this vital concept. Law-related and civic education help to develop young citizens who can sustain and build our nation by making a reasoned and informed commitment to our constitutional democracy. Law-related and civic education have also demonstrated promise in preventing delinquency The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association stacyr@gabar.org by fostering social responsibility, personal commitment for the public good and effective participation among our nation's youth. Attorney and teacher coaches model the highest standards of the legal and educational professions by providing students with a practical understanding of the way our legal system functions, including citizen participation in that system. Coaches also further student understanding of the role of the judicial branch as a co-equal branch of government, including the concept of checks and balances within the federal system. Participation on a competitive mock trial team heightens student appreciation for the principle of equal justice for all and the professional and ethical obligations of lawyers. It also demystifies courtroom procedures and promotes cooperation among young people of various ability levels and interests. Maintaining our democracy is not an easy task, for each succeeding generation must commit itself to the ideals and institutions that comprise our democratic foundations. William T. (Bill) Robinson, III, President of the American Bar Association, said in the Huffington Post Blog on December 14, 2011, “Judicial independence is critical to sustaining our democratic form of government established by the U.S. Constitution and developed through history. Judges must have the ability to make decisions to protect and enforce the rights of the people -- including the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority. Their decisions should be made without fear of reprisal or favor, and they should not be subject to the whims and passions of the political season. The public must have confidence that judges will be impartial, making decisions by applying the law to the merits of the case while not being swayed by outside influence.” Our democracy is a living, constantly evolving set of principles that must be nurtured and guarded by all its citizens. Through participation in the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition, Georgia high school students are in a far better position to understand and embrace their important role as engaged citizens at the local, state and national levels. ■ April 2012 THE ATLANTA LAWYER 7