Report Back: YLA Mock Trial 2011

Jun 21, 2011 | Posted in Announcements

Report Back: YLA Mock Trial 2011
REPORT BACK:

The Youth Law Academy Mock Trial & Mini-Conference!

 

On Saturday, June 4th, Centro Legal’s Youth Law Academy (YLA) students, their families, and community members braved the rain to take part in the first combined Mock Trial and Mini-Conference at the UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt). The Honorable Cecilia Castellanos presided over the court, and offered words of encouragement for the YLA students, who spent an entire semester in preparation for the Mock Trial.

The case, “The People v. Woodson”, was the trial of “Jesse Woodson” a student charged with cyber-bullying and assault with a deadly weapon. The students studied the case intensively and developed all of their own questions for the trial. The YLA students executed the trial with professionalism, grace, and determination under pressure. Congratulations everyone!

The Mini-Conference following the Mock Trial provided students and their families an opportunity to learn more about the field of law and the realities of law school. The Law Student panel represented law schools from UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Hastings. Daisy Hung, Assistant Director of the Office of Career Planning from the University of San Francisco School of Law, also participated in the Law Student panel.

A very special thanks to attorney coaches Delia Treviño, Fernando Flore (Shartsis Friese Fellow at Centro Legal), and Sigrid Irias; and to The Honorable Cecilia Castellanos. We are very grateful to the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP for their generous support, and to the UC Berkeley School of Law, Coalition for Diversity, and La Raza Law Students Association for making this event a success.

Thank you to all of the panel participants! The professional panel: Ausaff Chaudry, Veronica Rios Reddick, Michelle Rutherford, Patricia Salazar (Legal Services Director of Centro Legal), and The Honorable Judge Jon Tigar. The Law student panel: Eli Salomón Contreras, Maria Domínguez, Emilio José Rodriguez, Siobhan Waldron, and Daisy J. Hung.