by Sean McManus
Staff Writer
When you defy other people’s expectations your first year out of the gate, sometimes it can be difficult to meet your own. Not so inside the Pre-Law Program at the University of North Florida.
Since making it all the way to the national mock trial competition in 1996, the program is increasingly a launching pad for the law schools at Yale University and Washington & Lee, and winning awards for bravado in the arena of mock trial.
According to the program’s director, Marty Edwards, who was recruited to UNF from private practice in 1990 to start the program, local attorneys, judges and academics continue to swell his three-hour classes with cutting-edge legal theory and money from local firms will contribute to their first ever Pre-Law scholarship next year.
“And we’re beginning to serve as a model for other universities,” said Edwards, whose office is filled with pictures, awards and plaques in tribute to their success. “We’ve got an unusual program here and people like how we’re approaching it.”
Edwards has been teaching at UNF since the school was founded in 1972. Then, at his prodding, the departments of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice combined to begin a curriculum to prepare undergraduates for law school.
But what is most unique about the program is Edwards’ Mock Trial Class. Offered in the summer and garnering support from some of Jacksonville’s heaviest hitters, the class accomplishes something Edwards says no other undergraduate class can.
“This will tell you whether you want to be a lawyer or not,” Edwards said. “If you love building arguments and performing in class, then there’s a good chance the law is right for you. If not, then don’t go to law school.”
Like with any original idea inaugurated inside the bubble of academia, there was a battle to get Mock Trial Class approved. According to Edwards, some thought it was too far outside the traditional liberal arts curriculum and wouldn’t help students get into law school.
“Well, we’ve been getting plenty of students into really good law schools for seven years,” said Edwards, who attended the University of Florida for undergraduate and law school. “We’re doing something right.”
Forty-one students have already signed up for next summer’s Mock Trial Class and Edwards expects to get more than 60 before he has to narrow it to 26. He always leaves open one spot for a student from another college who can then take the experiences back with them. And Edwards leaves one spot open for a police officer — it’s a way for cops to learn about how lawyers are trained in terms of legal strategy.
“For the first hour we always have a guest speaker,” said Edwards, who has hosted Judges Peter Fryefield, Bernard Nachman, Brad Stetson and others. “They talk about courtroom procedure, mistakes young lawyers make and what it’s like to be a judge.”
Edwards also brings in lawyers who talk about various aspects of trying a case. He recruits from the State Attorney’s office and the Public Defenders office — he worked at both in the 1970s. Edwards breaks the talks into opening statements, getting documents to trial and objections. Direct examination of witnesses and cross examinations are also discussed. His favorite attorney to lecture on closing arguments is Assistant Public Defender Alan Chipperfield, who Edwards calls “animated.”
The second hour of Mock Trial Class is traditional classroom instruction taught by Edwards. He primarily uses two texts: “Dynamics of Trial Practice” and James McElhaney’s famous “Trial Notebook.” Edwards said in his initial due diligence, he pored over dozens of potential books and then picked the best ones. Naturally, there are also handouts.
But it’s the third hour of Mock Trial Class that Edwards is most proud of and where his initial inspiration to make normally dull legal trials fun. Hour three is when Edwards and the 26 UNF students put Batman on trial.
“Basically what happened was Bruce Wayne was throwing a cocktail party at his mansion when Alfred comes in to tell him the bat signal has gone off,” Edwards explained. “He’s had a couple of cocktails and he’s supposed to be off-duty, but he’s got a deal with the police commissioner and so he goes to check it out. The problem is the Joker actually stole the signal. But anyway, he’s driving in the Batmobile and a pedestrian walks in front of him, so he runs off the road and hits a tree.”
The Mock Trial students can either prosecute Batman or defend him. But either way, they have to think up good arguments for each side.
“The cop who arrested Batman just saw a guy in a mask who got in a car after having a few drinks,” Edwards said. “One of the questions is whether anybody is above the law or whether, as a special officer of the law, Batman is exempt.”
Edwards’ class has also brought Bugs Bunny to trial for stealing carrots, Salieri for a conspiracy to murder Mozart, the Lone Ranger for a bar fight and the Phantom of the Opera for the rape of Christine.
In addition to the Mock Trial Class, the Pre-Law program offers three other classes, each of which is endowed by a local firm or attorney. Mock Trial Class is endowed by Coker, Myers, Schickel, Sorenson & Higginbotham, The Law and Social Responsibility class is endowed by Brown Terrell Hogan. The Ethics class is endowed by former Florida Bar President Rutledge Lyles and Child Advocacy is endowed by Marie Keebler.
UNF’s two mock trial teams are currently preparing for the Southeast district competition in Tallahassee in February.
“We’ve already got the big packet with the trial history and the rules,” said Edwards, whose team took home a Spirit Award last year. “It’s almost like a real trial.”