Across BC, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, and Tarzan go on trial dozens of times every year. Elementary students become witnesses, defendants, lawyers, court staff and judges in mock trials held in our courtrooms. Hosting the young students brings BC Provincial Court judges and court staff joyful moments. They also enjoy supporting secondary school, college and law students in more sophisticated mock trials and hearings.

This spring, Port Hardy and Kamloops were among the BC courthouses that welcomed students for mock trial events.

Port Hardy

In Port Hardy, the Grade 4 to 7 class from the K’ak’ot’lats’i School put an accused shoplifter on trial in April. The Quatsino First Nation blends traditional Kwakwaka’wakw knowledge and culture with the curriculum in this school. Teachers work with Level Justice, a national organization dedicated to justice education and human rights, and their Indigenous Youth Outreach Program to facilitate the mock trial lessons. 

Vancouver Island lawyers and law students contribute by connecting virtually with the students for several weeks to help them prepare for the mock trial. 

Reporting on this year’s event, Judge Dwight Stewart said, “We hear the mock trial during a busy sitting day between 12:30 and 2:00. Lisa Milligan, Port Hardy’s Court Administrator, makes all the arrangements with the school and welcomes and guides the kids in their roles in court. She deserves special thanks. I also thank our sheriffs and clerks from Campbell River and Courtenay who travel to serve Port Hardy a week at a time. They all volunteer enthusiastically to spend their lunch hour hosting the students.”

“The students were great.  So much interest and enthusiasm! Lots of aspiring judges, lawyers, court staff and sheriffs among them. Crown counsel were outraged when the young offender on trial was found not guilty of theft!  Their youthful passion may have blinded them to the discipline of R. v. W.D.!”

Judge Dwight Stewart

(R. v. W.D. is a Supreme Court of Canada decision setting out the rules judges must apply when deciding if they have a reasonable doubt about guilt.)

Teaching materials

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Where do schools get teaching resources for mock trials? BC’s Justice Education Society (JES) provides a series of mock trial scenarios and scripts on LawLessons.ca. The site also offers legal education lesson plans aligned to the BC Social Studies Curriculum and teachers can book virtual speakers and court visits online. Plus, this summer, students aged 14 to 19 who are interested in the law, social justice or a legal career can register for Camp Justice, a one-week summer boot camp. 

Law Lessons: mock trial scripts (Justice Education Society)

Kamloops

In February, judges and court staff hosted members of the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law Criminal Law Club for their 2nd Annual Mock Bail Hearing Competition. Five judges and seven sheriffs opened courtrooms at the Kamloops Law Courts after hours for the law students to present Crown and defence arguments in mock bail hearings. The judges assessed the students’ advocacy and provided feedback. 

Speaking on behalf of the club, Kaitlyn Daly said, “The event was an extreme success. We could not have done it without the judges’ support from start to finish. Having both the judges' and sheriffs' support meant that we could give as authentic and true an experience as possible. It's no secret that law school is primarily academic and theoretical. Although that's great for the purpose of law school, it does mean that students, and especially those going into criminal law, receive little, if any, "real world" experience. Even moots and other opportunities don't tend to fully capture it - appellate work is not really the everyday experience of working in criminal law.

That's why we found it so important to be in the courts with those who are there every day. 

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Providing bail submissions in an actual courtroom, with a sheriff watching you, and in front of a judge who sees dozens of these handled every day provides a truly invaluable learning experience - it raises the stakes and provides as close an experience to practice as you can get. 

The students received feedback in law school that most would not have otherwise received until their summer jobs or even articles - and it's going to put them a step forward when they do eventually get there. So, we owe quite a lot to the Kamloops Law Courts, our judges, sheriffs, and our student volunteers for being the ones who helped create that reality.”

Preparing for and participating in mock trials helps students understand how Canada’s justice system works. For children as well as law students, simulating court proceedings in a real courtroom with judges and court staff increases the impact of what they learn.