by Leta Gorman
This past weekend, I had the honor and pleasure of judging the State Finals for the Oregon High School Mock Trial Competition – Civics Learning Project. I participated in mock trials when I was a law student, taught trial advocacy as a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel | IADC and had the previous pleasure of judging for the Civics Learning Project. Judging the Civics Learning Project Mock Trial State Finals this year, however, was a truly inspiring experience for me.
First, the ”Civics Learning Project is Oregon’s leader in preparing students to become active, engaged, and informed participants in our democratic society.” Being around students (lawyers and witnesses; bailiffs and clerks), parents, teachers, coaches and volunteers involved in this adrenaline filled event – excitement, competition, teamwork, strategizing, story-telling – committed to Civics Learning Project’s mission made me want to be a better lawyer. The commitment and dedication shown by all involved reinforced my strong belief in the justice system and my commitment to providing the best of myself to my clients.
Second, amongst the many outstanding students participating, one made a particular impression on me – a young woman that I named a “Ninja.” She sat calmly and confidently at counsel table. Just one amongst the various students participating in the second round of Sunday’s mock trials. But when she got up to direct and cross-examine witnesses (an expert included), she was not messing around. She was not aggressive or arrogant. She was strong and smart. She blew me away. Beyond displaying her impressive knowledge of the facts and law applicable to the case, this Ninja expertly told her client’s story through the cross-examination of an expert witness – one of the hardest things, in my opinion, to do in a court room before a jury. Expert witnesses are notorious for avoiding the answers that the opposing attorney wants during cross-examination. Yet, she got in, got the answers she wanted quickly, succinctly, and beautifully, and got out. She, in my opinion, did a perfect cross-examination of an expert. This young woman reinforced my long-standing belief that clients involved in litigation need not just a litigator but a highly skilled trial lawyer – someone who knows not only how to handle a case up to a hopeful resolution without trial but how to try a case just in case you need a courtroom “Ninja.”
Third, I witnessed young students who are (hopefully) to-be lawyers take the facts that they were assigned in the mock trial and weave them to tell stories that were not only supported by the law but were persuasive and thought-provoking. By “stories,” I do not mean to suggest that any story was fabricated or exaggerated. The stories were all true, but the differences in the stories reminded me of one of the reasons why I am a trial lawyer. I am a storyteller. I am a storyteller not for the sake of telling stories but because I strive to tell my clients’ stories – stories that sometimes don’t get told without hiring a lawyer (plaintiff or defense) – in a way that is truthful and persuasive.
That is exactly what I saw in each of the trial presentations I judged. Each story was different – based on the same facts, but different. These young high school students stood confidently and competently in the US District Court of Oregon courthouse in downtown Portland, an awe-inspiring building, and told persuasive stories on behalf of their “clients.” They took ownership of their clients’ facts and confidently advocated on behalf of their clients.
Finally, some say trial lawyers are just “wannabe” actors. That may be true. The competition this past weekend reminded me that good trial lawyers know how to expertly tell stories with the facts they are given and the law that applies in such a way that persuades, evokes emotion, and makes juries and judges think. In a real world court room, however, when the lawyer is standing to represent you, trial lawyers know they are not on a stage. They know that you have entrusted them with your real facts, your real story, and your real issues. That is why finding the right person – the right lawyer – to tell your story is so important.
I am a trial lawyer. I am a storyteller. And, when I grow up, I want to be that Ninja student I watched at the Oregon High School Mock Trial Competition last weekend.
