By Janelle Schwartz, State Bar of Wisconsin
Aug. 26, 2009 – While students and teachers prepare to head back to the classroom for the 2009-2010 school year, the State Bar of Wisconsin and its attorney members are also getting ready to “go back to school” to engage students in substantive, thought-provoking, law-related education.
The State Bar’s Public Education Committee (formerly Law-related Education) coordinates the law-related education programs and publications of the State Bar of Wisconsin to foster understanding and respect for the legal system and the rule of law. Following are a few of the programs, highlighting last year’s participant stats and winners, as well as fall programming to look forward to in the coming months.
Mock Trial – Annual program where hundreds of high school students across the state research, study, and prepare a hypothetical courtroom trial.
In 2009, the Mock Trial Tournament marked its 26th year with approximately 1,150 students participating on 119 teams. Over 450 attorneys and judges from the State Bar volunteered their time to serve as coaches, judges and coordinators for this program. Xavier High School from Appleton won the Mock Trial 2009 state championship after narrowly beating Shorewood High School. All teams argued a hypothetical environmental contamination case. The final two teams argued the case before all seven Wisconsin Supreme Court justices. Video of the 2009 state Mock Trial Tournament Final is available on WisconsinEye. Xavier then advanced to the national Mock Trial Championship in Atlanta, GA in May finishing 21st among the 40 other teams.
Mock Trial 2010 brochures and registration forms will be mailed to schools statewide within the next couple weeks. Once registered, schools will receive case materials created by the State Bar’s Health Law Section Board. The 2010 Mock Trial Regional Tournament will take place on February 13, 2010.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution – National program of the Center for Civic Education supported through the Education for Democracy Act that offers a curriculum designed to teach an understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to school-age children. The curriculum is supported by professional development opportunities provided by the State Bar and culminates in a mock congressional hearing.
In 2009, 36 attorneys, teachers and legislators volunteered to judge the hearings. The winning team, from Wauwatosa West High School, went on to place first in the nation on Unit 5 of the curriculum. View the below video of Wauwatosa West team members in action conducting a mock congressional hearing.
The State Bar is currently getting ready for the “We the People – Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers” September 18-19, to help prepare teachers interested in using “We the People” curriculum in the classroom.
- Judicial Teaching Institute: From the Courtroom to the Classroom – Professional development opportunity to educate secondary teachers about the Wisconsin court system.
This fall the State Bar will host its “Judicial Training Institute: From the Courtroom to the Classroom” on October 8-10. Teachers will learn how to bring Wisconsin courts and law to life for their students while interacting with educators, attorneys, judges, and Wisconsin Supreme Court justices.
Back to school is an exciting time for law-related education at the State Bar. In addition to the above, the State Bar has other programming opportunities and resources including Court with Class, Project Citizen and On Being 18. Also, hundreds of attorney volunteers are needed for Mock Trial and other law-related education 2010 programs. Individuals who want more information or are interested in volunteering, coaching or judging any programs, should contact State Bar Law-Related Education Coordinator Marsha Varvil-Weld at (608) 250-6191 or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6191. Visit www.legalexplorer.com for more information.
Rotunda Report is a new newsletter, issued once every two weeks, from the State Bar of Wisconsin that highlights legislative, judicial and administrative developments that impact the legal profession and the justice system. It is produced by the Bar’s Government Relations Team and is distributed free to attorneys, public officials and others who help shape public policy in Wisconsin. We invite your suggestions to make the Rotunda Report more informative and useful and we encourage you to visit our Web site for the most current information about justice-related issues.
© 2009, State Bar of Wisconsin
