Today is my final Trial Advocacy class.  Throughout this semester we have learned the basics of navigating a court room.  We were all assigned one side of a case and we have had to voir dire a jury, prepare direct and cross examinations, introduce evidence, give closing arguments, etc.  Mine is a simple case... a "slip and fall" in a parking lot.  My "client" inadvertently stepped in a puddle of water concealing a recessed drainage grate that was backed up with water and she suffered serious injuries requiring knee and shoulder surgery.

While I am trying to prove that the defendant failed to properly maintain the parking lot, and thus caused my client's injuries, the opposing counsel (a fellow classmate) will be arguing that the hazard was "open and obvious" and it was her fault.

Tonight, we put all the pieces together in a "mock trial" at the county courthouse.  We are each bringing in our witnesses and the jurors, and the judge is a local attorney who volunteered to help our class.  I'm really looking forward to it.  It should be fun... and win or lose, our professor is buying us all pizza afterwards.

So... wish me luck with my first (mock) trial.

Best,
Robert A. Franco
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