Law Day 2011 celebrates the 28th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Take part in this free program - in your school - with the Elementary School Mock Trials.

The Elementary School Mock Trials are a free program offered by the Ontario Bar Association. Individual lawyers or teams of lawyers are encouraged to present this program at an elementary school of their choosing. Volunteers who have no preference as to which school they attend will be matched with a school as they become available. The program is presented on two separate days with a time commitment of about 60 minutes on Day 1 and 90 minutes on Day 2.

Prior to Day 1, the teacher will have assigned the various roles of jury, witnesses, lawyers, etc. to their students.  On Day 1, the lawyers attend the classroom and provide the students with an overview of the Canadian Criminal Justice System, introduce the fact scenario for the mock trial, and then ‘walk through’ the various duties of the jurors, the witnesses and the lawyers.  It is helpful to spend some time with the lawyers to guide them in their preparation for Day 2.  About a week later, the lawyers re-attend the classroom to preside over the trial.  Ideally, the trial will occur during Law Week, which in 2011 will run from April 11th to 15th.  In classes where two lawyers volunteer, one can preside as judge while the other lawyer acts as ‘consultant’ in the event the various participants need some gentle direction during the mock trial.  This second lawyer also acts as ‘jury consultant’ to keep the jury deliberations focused and timely. 

2010 Mock Trial Case (Elementary Student)

2010 Elementary School Mock Trial Outline

2009 Mock Trial Case (Elementary Students)

 

 

2009 Elementary School Mock Trial Outline

 

Charter of Rights & Freedoms - Legal Rights

Teachers, students, or lawyers who would like to sign up for the 2011 Elementary Mock Trial should do on or before Friday, February 18, 2011. Please provide your name, telephone number, e-mail and full mailing address to Filippo Conte at fconte@oba.org.