A crowd of more than 300 attendees on Zoom and at the Moakley Courthouse heard U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris, Judge Nancy Gertner (Ret.), Justice Fernande R. V. Duffly (Ret.), and Judge Angel Kelley, talk about the inequalities, biases, and other barriers that stood in the way of their path to the bench, and how they overcame them.

Last week, 26 middle schools kicked off Discovering Justice’s Spring Mock Appeal Program as students worked with their legal mentors starting in on their legal briefs and learning how the appellate court system works.

The Spring Appeal Program follows Discovering Justice’s Fall Mock Trial Program in which nearly 300 jurors in courthouses across Massachusetts ruled on the Fourth Amendment case Ross v. Clearmont High for 29 student teams. Student attorneys came back this week and rejoined their legal mentors to appeal the jury’s verdict.

“My experience serving as a juror for the Mock Trial program was a big factor in my decision to ask my colleagues to join me in volunteering this semester as legal mentors. The program ran so well, and I was happy to be a part of it,” said Kate Cruickshank, an attorney from Murphy & King, P.C. and one of Discovering Justice’s newest legal mentor volunteers. These dedicated legal mentors will volunteer one afternoon a week through May to work with teams of 10-15 student attorneys to help them explore the Ross v. Clearmont High case and build their arguments.

Erin Sulva, Cruickshank’s colleague, shared her enthusiasm for the program. “I look forward to collaborating on something fun and meaningful with my coworkers, and the opportunity to hear perspectives of kids from the community. It will be cool to have a mostly female team to show the students that there are successful women in law.”

The Mock Appeal Program will culminate the last week of May, with students arguing their case before a panel of three judges in the Moakley Courthouse and courthouses across Massachusetts.