Mock trial tourney.
Frank Nosic of St. Joseph Secondary School plays the role of the Crown at the Peel Mock Trial Tournament held at the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse in Brampton. Here, he cross-examines a witness. St. Joseph finished second, losing to Mentor College in the final.
Photo by Daniel Ho
Mississauga high school law students put their skills on trial last week in Brampton courtrooms.
Students from the Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board assumed the roles of lawyers, witnesses and even the accused during the annual two-day mock trial tournament competition held in the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse. It was organized by the Peel Legal Education committee. Local judges, lawyers and school boards collaborated to organize the unique event.
Grades 11-12 students acted as defence and prosecution lawyers in what was a rare chance to apply classroom lessons in a real courtroom setting.
“It takes their learning right from the classroom in an application that cannot be replicated anywhere else,” said Ian Pettigrew, the Peel board’s instructional co-ordinator and one of the event organizers.
This year, 16 teams took part in the tournament.
Real judges and lawyers run the mock trials that are limited to about 80 minutes.
Lawyers volunteer as mentors for the students and assist the school teams as they prepare for trial.
Madame Justice Nancy Kastner said the courtroom simulation forces students to “think on their feet: while exposing them to the workings of Canada’s legal process.
Each team has students acting as either lawyers or witnesses. All teams argue the same case. This year, organizers created the fictional case of a business person charged with drug trafficking after an airport customs officer found cocaine concealed in liquor bottles inside luggage.
Teams must be prepared to present their cases as either the defence or prosecution.
“Each team has to represent both the crown and the defence in a different round,” said Pettigrew.
Teams spend weeks preparing arguments to support a case for guilt and innocence.
Two Mississauga school squared off in the finals, with the defence team from Mentor College defeating the prosecutors from St. Joseph.
A team from Mississauga’s St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School were awarded the Mike Ford Character Award for fair play and good sportsmanship. The award was created in the memory of the veteran Peel board teacher who was a long-time supporter of annual tournament and died last year in a diving accident.