Just 344 Civil Liberties students participate in mock appellate arguments for finals project

Front row seated l to r:  Azaria Kantor, Charlotte Morthorpe, Derek Witte, Isabell Wilkinson.
Front row standing: l to r: Prof. Brandeis, volunteer lawyer Tara Wheatland, Ailee Wood, Joshua Johnson.
Back row l to r: Volunteer lawyer Vikram Patel, Jacob Carbough, Christina Cyphers, Kaitlin Simenson,
volunteer lawyer Marika Athens, Yevgenii Kisarauskas.

The judges meet before the mock trial:
l to r: Vikram Patel, Tara Wheatland, Marika Athens,
Prof. Brandeis.

 Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice faculty, held mock trial arguments in his Justice 344 - "Courts and Civil Liberties" course on December 10 as the final project of the semester.  Students participated in a  moot court  - a mock appellate court proceeding which involves the presentation of oral argument before a panel of judges. Students were divided into teams and prepared arguments for hypothetical cases.  Their arguments were presented before a panel of  judges (including Prof. Brandeis) composed of lawyer volunteers. Prior to the oral arguments, students prepared briefs on their cases and submitted them to their opposing counsel team and to Prof. Brandeis and the judges.

Note: For Spring 2013, JUST 344 is now JUST 443 Civil Liberties.

Panel of judges l to r: Prof. Brandeis discusses the format for the moot court; Marika Athens,
Tara Wheatland, Vikram Patel.

Volunteers lawyers were Marika Athens, Assistant Attorney General, Special Prosecutions Unit on Cybercrimes; Tara Wheatland, Associate, Jermain Dunnagan & Owens; and Vikram Patel, Grants Administrator, Anchorage Park Foundation.

See slideshow below of students presenting their arguments.