Judges, lawyers train future litigators

In the matter of the Housing Authority v. Johnson, a grandma on the verge of eviction cried and the maintenance man, a witness for the plaintiffs, cussed up a storm. But only the attorneys were real. That’s how it played out at trial school!

Trial school is once-a-year crash course in trial advocacy hosted by Dorsey & Whitney, coordinated by MMLA Litigation Directors Luke Grundman and Justin Perl with assistance from Pro Bono Manager Cynthia Haskin.

Designed to put Legal Aid attorneys through the paces of direct exam, cross exam and the art of introducing evidence, three trials took place at the end of a week of instruction. They were mock trials but our volunteer juries and witnesses took the merits of the cases seriously and our very real Legal Aid attorneys expertly polished their litigation skills.

Back to the matter of the Housing Authority v. Johnson, it was the tenants who won in all three cases! Expressed thanks to Dorsey+Whitney, and our trial judges, Judge Kristin Siegesmund (ret.), Attorney Tom Tinkham (Dorsey), and Attorney Galen Robinson, (MMLA alum).