During the month of April, students in our Mock Appeal program had the opportunity to hone their appellate skills with the assistance of federal and state judges.  Through the power of video conferencing, judges visited our students across the state and shared insider tips on how to deliver a powerful appellate argument. 

This session also gave students the opportunity to ask a wide array of questions to the judges. Students asked about the most interesting case the judge had ever presided over, what steps they took to become a judge in the first place, how it feels to make decisions that affect people’s lives every day, the judge’s thoughts on current events like the Derek Chauvin trial, and a wide variety of other topics.  

All this preparation will come in handy on the evenings of Tuesday, May 25th, Wednesday, May 26th, and Thursday, May 27th from 5:00 to 6:30 when our student attorneys present and defend their arguments as our appellate panels pepper them with questions. 

Although it can be a daunting challenge, our student attorneys always rise to the occasion and thrive off of these questions. As veteran Mock Appeal panelist and Federal Judge David Barron had said: “If you really want to know what the value of the program is, all you have to do is see the students take a deep breath at the end of it.” We hope you can join us in supporting our students from across the state as they exhale with a deep pride in the work they have done. To register to be part of our audience, please sign up through this online form by Monday, May 24th. If you are an experienced attorney or a judge who would like to serve on one of Mock Appeal panels and judge the student appeals, contact the program coordinator, Luke Matys (lmatys@discoveringjustice.org), by Friday, May 7th.