Volunteers Sought For Mock Trial And Moot Court Competition

Photos by Ken Rabiroff

The Center for Youth Citizenship (CYC) is seeking volunteers from the legal community for the 26th Annual Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial and Moot Court Competition.

Volunteer-attorneys serve as attorney coaches for the program, assisting teacher coaches and their students in preparing arguments for the mock trial or moot court competition. Each attorney coach is asked to donate a total of approximately 25 hours between October and January. Volunteers are also needed to serve as presiding judges and scoring judges who oversee the competition rounds and determine how effectively the competing teams prepare their arguments and deliver their cases. Presiding judges and scoring judges serve a total of two-to-eight hours during the week of the competition in January 2005.

Last year's mock trial team from John F. Kennedy High School.

The competition is a unique opportunity for the legal community to become involved and support students and exemplary school programs. This program provides our next generation of citizens with knowledge of the American legal system and our democratic traditions and the organizational, communication and critical thinking skills needed by our future leaders.

Chief Assistant Attorney General Tom Greene, Third District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland and Superior Court Judge Patricia Esgro served as judges for last year's competition.

This model educational program is conducted in partnership and with the support of the Sacramento County Superior Court, the California Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, the United States Attorney's Office, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Sacramento County Bar Association and Law Foundation, various Sacramento-area law firms and legal organizations, and local school districts. The culminating events are scheduled for January 11, 13, and 15, 2005 at the Gordon D. Schaber Downtown Courthouse and the mock trial final round and community awards and recognition ceremony will be held on January 20, 2005. Volunteer attorneys and judges make this competition a distinguished and unique community outreach activity.

The Center for Youth Citizenship is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization established in 1984. For additional information regarding the Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial and Moot Court Competition, and other model CYC programs, please visit www.youthcitizenship.org, email cyc@scoe.net or call (916)228-2322.

September / October 2004