Tidbit about me
Sep. 11th, 2008 09:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trickykittyIn high school I participated in the YMCA Texas Youth & Government program.
I've also worked as an adult volunteer meeting with students from a couple of schools each week as they participated in the program. This program is a student-run mock government in which the students recreate the government branches of their state, and culminates in both a district conference and a state conference in which high school students overrun the capitol buildings. The Texas Y&G program includes the areas of Legislative, Executive, Judicial, Media, and Lobbyists (mock lobbyists - isn't that great). For most schools, the program is extra-curricular, but some schools offer English and/or Government credit for participation as the work involved can get quite extensive and the knowledge gained from hands-on learning is invaluable. The students spend the better part of the fall season learning how their area works and the rules and procedures to be followed. They also draft legislation, papers, briefs, etc. depending on their chosen area and familiarize themselves with the whole prospect of *gasp* public speaking and presentation.
I participated in the judicial section as half of a lawyer team. At first all lawyer teams are given a trial case and it rotates each year between criminal and civil. My year was a criminal year. The fictional cases are created by a group of lawyers and judges so as to not be biased towards either prosecution or defense, giving each team an equal chance of the justices (also students) to rule in favor of them. Lawyer teams are required to be able to present their cases for either side, so two briefs, two sets of opening and closing arguments, two sets of examination questions and cross-exams. There are specific rules for time limits, the order of who goes when, courtroom procedures for entering evidence, and a wonderful list of acceptable objections. During trial, teams must present their cases and question the witnesses (again, students who have familiarized themselves with usually around 2-3 witness roles and happily dress/act in character). It's really great fun.
The district convention is held in November over one weekend and the national convention is in late-Jan or February during a 4-day trip to Austin. Real marble and leather inside of the real State Congress floor and Supreme Court rooms. Posh indeed. The top ranking attorney teams at district have the option to try their hand at the Appellate court in the state convention, while those that didn't meet the cut stick with the original trial case. My fellow lawyer and I made the cut. So between Nov and Feb, we had to bust our butts learning about the appellate system and a whole new set of rules regarding presenting to the Appellate Court, along with reading about a completely different case and writing up two new briefs.
Did I mention the 3" binder filled with nothing but a selection of applicable legal precedent, all REAL prior Supreme Court rulings? Those old farts that sit on the bench are fucking long-winded and really like to see their name attached to shit, even if it's the same exact shit that three other justice also wrote.
That being said, I learned to LOVE reading supreme court rulings, although I also learned that reading the first majority ruling and first dissenting opinion is usually sufficient. It's nothing at all like watching a trail court case. The best example of an appellate proceedings is to watch the final case in The People VS Larry Flint. I found a love in appellate court and it was the driving force behind me originally wanting to get my JD (Juris Doctorate - aka law degree).
So, yeah. Couldn't you see me as a lawyer?
No, I'm not talking about the sexy short skirt power-house outfit - I mean the job.
I've also worked as an adult volunteer meeting with students from a couple of schools each week as they participated in the program. This program is a student-run mock government in which the students recreate the government branches of their state, and culminates in both a district conference and a state conference in which high school students overrun the capitol buildings. The Texas Y&G program includes the areas of Legislative, Executive, Judicial, Media, and Lobbyists (mock lobbyists - isn't that great). For most schools, the program is extra-curricular, but some schools offer English and/or Government credit for participation as the work involved can get quite extensive and the knowledge gained from hands-on learning is invaluable. The students spend the better part of the fall season learning how their area works and the rules and procedures to be followed. They also draft legislation, papers, briefs, etc. depending on their chosen area and familiarize themselves with the whole prospect of *gasp* public speaking and presentation.
I participated in the judicial section as half of a lawyer team. At first all lawyer teams are given a trial case and it rotates each year between criminal and civil. My year was a criminal year. The fictional cases are created by a group of lawyers and judges so as to not be biased towards either prosecution or defense, giving each team an equal chance of the justices (also students) to rule in favor of them. Lawyer teams are required to be able to present their cases for either side, so two briefs, two sets of opening and closing arguments, two sets of examination questions and cross-exams. There are specific rules for time limits, the order of who goes when, courtroom procedures for entering evidence, and a wonderful list of acceptable objections. During trial, teams must present their cases and question the witnesses (again, students who have familiarized themselves with usually around 2-3 witness roles and happily dress/act in character). It's really great fun.
The district convention is held in November over one weekend and the national convention is in late-Jan or February during a 4-day trip to Austin. Real marble and leather inside of the real State Congress floor and Supreme Court rooms. Posh indeed. The top ranking attorney teams at district have the option to try their hand at the Appellate court in the state convention, while those that didn't meet the cut stick with the original trial case. My fellow lawyer and I made the cut. So between Nov and Feb, we had to bust our butts learning about the appellate system and a whole new set of rules regarding presenting to the Appellate Court, along with reading about a completely different case and writing up two new briefs.
Did I mention the 3" binder filled with nothing but a selection of applicable legal precedent, all REAL prior Supreme Court rulings? Those old farts that sit on the bench are fucking long-winded and really like to see their name attached to shit, even if it's the same exact shit that three other justice also wrote.
That being said, I learned to LOVE reading supreme court rulings, although I also learned that reading the first majority ruling and first dissenting opinion is usually sufficient. It's nothing at all like watching a trail court case. The best example of an appellate proceedings is to watch the final case in The People VS Larry Flint. I found a love in appellate court and it was the driving force behind me originally wanting to get my JD (Juris Doctorate - aka law degree).
So, yeah. Couldn't you see me as a lawyer?
No, I'm not talking about the sexy short skirt power-house outfit - I mean the job.
