Mock Trial & Mock Appeal After School Program Grades 6-8
Middle schoolers meet weekly with a team of legal mentors (attorneys or law students who volunteer their time) to explore the judicial system, learn case analysis and development, and practice the civic skills needed to persuasively argue their case in front of a judge.
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In our semester-long 12 week after school Mock Trial and Mock Appellate Programs, middle school students delve deeper into our nationâs judicial system. Guided by legal partners / volunteer attorneys, teams of students prepare and litigate cases concerning students and their constitutional rightsâengaging in legal analysis, grappling with real constitutional issues, and developing legal arguments. In theMock Trial Program, students present their cases before judges and juries made up of community members. In the mock appellate program, students work with their legal mentors to craft appellate briefs and oral arguments in order to appeal their cases before panels of judges.
These programs, typically held in law offices and classrooms in cities across the Commonwealth, will now be made available virtually with Discovering Justice staff and legal partners presenting curriculum and skills training live on video. The online option for Mock Trial will also make the program more accessible by providing opportunities for students to participate who were previously unable to travel after school to law offices in Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, and Worcester.
To find out more, please contact the program manager Luke Matys.