CBA Record Sept-Oct 2019

Y O U N G L A W Y E R S J O U R N A L

YLS Hosts Law Students from Spain for Mock Jury Trial By Kruti J. Patel, Co-Editor of the YLS Journal

T he Young Lawyers Section recently hosted 20 law students from Univer- sidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV), Madrid, Spain, for a mock trial designed to provide a window into the U.S. legal system. Judge Thomas M. Mulroy of the Circuit Court of Cook County opened his court- room at the Daley Center for this program and presided over the mock trial of Garcia v. Mul. YLS volunteers played the roles of the plaintiff, defendant, counsel, witnesses, and jurors. The case involved a breach of lease suit brought by plaintiff, SofiaGarcia, against defendant, Elaine Mul, for $20,000. While the trial itself involved colorful witnesses and interesting circumstances, and demonstrated various rules of evidence and trial procedures, the students from UFV Madrid honed in on perhaps the most unusual aspect of the American legal system on display–the jury. At the conclusion of the trial, one of the law students stated, “We don’t like juries,” a sentiment that is shared by much of the world. Although juries are a fixture in the American legal system, much of the world—

Photo courtesy of Kruti J. Patel

especially European legal systems—rely on judges to be the final arbiters of facts as well as laws. The students were extremely interested in the role of the judge, as opposed to the jury, and asked many questions about the duties performed by each. Ultimately, they showed much skepticism about the abilities of a lay person to be able to perform such an important role. Even though the YLS volunteers may not have swayed the visiting law students on the value of jury trials, the program provided

a valuable opportunity to learn about the Spanish legal system and the uniqueness of the American legal system. Special thanks to Judge Thomas M. Mulroy (Judge) , Allison Czerniak (Plaintiff), KennyMatuszewski &LaraWagner (Coun- sel for Plaintiff) , Jennifer Byrne (Defendant) , OctavioDuran& JeffreyMoskowitz ( Coun- sel forDefendant) , Shelly Bethune (Witness), and all those who volunteered as members of the jury.

GOLF OUTING – The humidity was high but it didn't dampen the spirits of the members and friends of the Chicago Bar Association who hit the links at Harborside International Golf Course for the CBA's annual fall golf outing. Many thanks to our sponsors: Smart Reviews, CBA Insurance, Epiq, Latimer LeVey Fyock LLC, Attorneys’Title Guaranty Fund, Beacon Hill Staffing, Clifford Law Offices, First American Bank, Purepoint Financial, Ripon Printing, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC, and US Legal Support.

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