Silicon Valley Office Hosts Citizen Schools' Mock Trial For Fourth Year
PALO ALTO, CA (May 29, 2008) — As it has now done for several years, McDermott Will & Emery lawyers based in the Firm's Silicon Valley office have been serving as mock trial coaches to sixth and seventh grade students from the McKinley Institute of Technology School in Redwood City as part of the Citizen Schools' Mock Trial Program. The culmination of the program will be a mock jury trial on May 29, 2008 at San Mateo County Superior Court with Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall presiding.
In 2005, McDermott Will & Emery hosted the first Citizen Schools' mock trial in California. The mock trial program allows students to spend three months working with McDermott's lawyers developing critical thinking skills, practicing public speaking, expanding their knowledge of the law and building meaningful relationships with the attorneys.
McDermott lawyers work with the students teaching them courtroom skills, including direct and cross examinations, opening statements and closing arguments. The program is led by Dan Alberti, chair of the Firm's Pro Bono & Community Service Committee in the Silicon Valley office and partners Michele Moreland, David Alexander and Andy Kumamoto along with associates Brian Baker, David Chase, Sheila Collins, Debra Dennett, Alexis Garcha, Jennifer Gossain and Rachel Repka.
Since 1995 Citizen Schools has built a creative and effective learning model that addresses community needs while building student skills through hands-on experiential learning activities. Citizen Schools operates a national network of apprenticeship programs for youth that connects middle school students with adult volunteers in hands-on learning. At Citizen Schools, students develop the academic and leadership skills they need to do well in school, get into college and become leaders in their careers and in their communities. Citizen Schools currently enrolls 3,800 middle-school students and engages 2,800 volunteers at 37 school campus sites in the United States. For more information visit http://www.citizenschools.org/.
