FIRST PLACE
A Mediation in Mayberry
Presented By: The Sagamore American Inn of Court, Indianapolis, IN
This award-winning program addressed Alternative Dispute Resolution issues using a fictional parade accident in Mayberry involving Sheriff Andy Taylor and his deputy, Barney Fife. Mayberry was recreated in an expansive set with props, costumes, sound effects and characters including Ron Howard, The Fonz, and Mr. Rogers. The program took up such issues as whether mediation statements were binding or admissible, what rules applied to pre-suit mediations and should bad faith during mediation be sanctioned. The program used extensive costumes and pros, but the setup can be modified as a presenting group may see fit.
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SECOND PLACE
Deep Clue: The Law of Confidential News
The Earl Warren AIC, Oakland, CA
The California shield law and the lack of Federal shield laws were the focus of this program. The program showed how the law in California lends protection to investigative reporters while the Federal government provides none. The topic was introduced in the manner of the game "Clue" and a song adapted from "A Chorus Line". A Ring Master kept the audience involved by asking them to guess the informant at various stages of the presentation.
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THIRD PLACE
To Rap or Not to Rap, That is the Confunction: Ethical Obligations When Street Talk Enters the Courtroom
The Anthony M. Kennedy AIC, Sacramento, CA
This program explored the attorney-client relationship within the context of a language and cultural barrier developing with the rise of the number of recognized languagues and cultures in the United States. The program highlighted the issues by exploring the lengths to which an attorney can go to change clients when the clients choose to express themselves in a language other than standard spoken English. The program began with a rap song using the tune of "Pretty Woman" and used a character who used street talk throughout the program. The chracter gave the audience the frustrating experience of not understanding the client, and paved the way for a debate over what ethical obligations would arise if the character were truly a client.
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BEST SPECIAL PROJECT
One Night Forever
The Wray Ladine AIC, Modesto, CA
This award-winning Special Project program educated young people and their parents about legal issues facing young people when they turn 18 years old. The Inn collaborated with the Courts and Community Committee of the Stanislaus County Superior Court to produce a DVD, a teaching manual and a California State Bar publication that was distributed to the local high schools for their use in Government classes. Following the viewing of the DVD, the pupillage team engaged in a discussion concerning the legal issues addressed in the program. They also reviewed the teaching manual which discussed the constitutional rights of an accused and pointed out the legal ramifications of law violations and rental contracts.
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OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS
Clawing Your Way to Victory: The Tenstion Between Our Advesarial System and the Search for Truth
The Anthony M. Kennedy AIC Sacramento, CA
The focus of this program was the tension between the rules and tools of the legal system and the search for truth. The program explored the ethical propriety of a lawyer's use of tactics that may influence a jury; addressed the ethical obligations of a junior associate who observed misconduct by a senior partner; and reviewed the obligation a lawyer has when a client apparently perpatrated a fraud. The program's skits used song parodies to highlight the issues, but also generated thoughful discussions by posing questions about the efforts to exploit religious convictions or use celebrity friendships to sway jury members about a defendant.
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2046; A Space Out Odyssey – Legal Ethics v. Pharmaceutical and Technological Advances
The Anthony M. Kennedy AIC, Sacramento, CA
Set primarily in the year 2046, this program raised legal and ethical questions about the use of pharmaceutical drugs by counsel, their clients, and the judge. It also explored the possible use of mind-reading technology by attorneys, the judiciary and the general public. The program was divided into three acts, and each act includes included humorous skits, songs, displays and a moderator who kept the audience involved by engaging them in a discussion and by posing questions directly to them.
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Zoot!
The Wray Ladine AIC, Modesto, CA
This program focused on the trial court system's susceptibility to the general population's intolerance and fear of minority groups. It also explored the uncertainty those minority groups feel about the American justice system protecting their rights as American citizens. The presentations used the lack of due process afforded to 22 Mexican-American men in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial that began in 1942. The program was narrated by an unidentified Mexican-American character who could only be seen by the main defendant. The narrator railed against the justice system and demonstrated how it was almost impossible for the Mexican-Americans to get a fair trial. Following the conviction of the defendants in the program, the Inn began a discussion period that raised the issues of prejudices exhibited by judges and what procedures needed to be employed to try and prevent them.
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Twelve Labors Before Three Witches: Estoppel and Equipose in the Crucible of Oral Argument
The Earl Warren AIC, Oakland, CA
Using two fictional cases, this program illustrated things to do and things not to do during oral arguments. The first fictional case was based upon the fifth labor of Hercules in which Hercules was ordered to clean out King Augeas' stables in one day. Hercules sustained injuries in the course of his labor and he sued Eurystheus, who had ordered him to clean King Augeas’ stables. The second fictional case was based on the character of Lady Macbeth who was tried and convicted on the charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. A PowerPoint presentation outlined the specific points that the program tried to make such as don't raise new points for the first time at oral argument, don't misstate the record, answer the court's questions directly, don't overstate the strength of your case, don't interrupt the judge, and confine your arguments to the record.
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Taking the Family Legit
The Sam A. Crow AIC, Topeka, KS
This program focused on the role of ethics in the formation of a business venture and was related through the story of the "Don" of a mafia family who desired to legitimize his fortune by laundering money. He sent his childen to a series of lawyers to seek advice on how to act in his situation. The lawyers faced the dilemmas of unethical representation, potential murders by the mafia, and the possible breach of confidence to expose the criminal enterprises. The issues of lawyer competence, the resonableness of fees, the prohibition against aiding a client in crime or a fraud, and client confidences were raised by an off-stage "Ethics Meister" who lectured the lawyers and the audience about the issues as they were presented.
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Wheel of Mis-Fortune
The I'Anson-Hoffman AIC, Norfolk, VA
This program focused on legal ethics and lawyer advertising in Virginia. It used the television gameshow "Wheel of Fortune" to pit pupillage teams against each other to answer questions about ethics. After the spin of the wheel a corresponding “Nasty Lawyer Ad” was played and the team had thirty seconds to critique the ad and spot as many violations of the Virginia Rules of Ethics as they could list. To add a new twist to the game, the teams reporting violations had to phrase their answers in the form of a question, and points were awarded based on the number of violations found in the alloted time.
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A Legal Eagle and His Fumbled Lateral: A Cautionary Tale of Law Firm Duty and Betrayal
The Temple AIC, Philadelphia, PA
This program provided a cautionary tale of duty and betrayal in today's law firm environment by borrowing the story of a high-profile Philadelphia Eagles football player and adapting it to a story of partner or shareholder who is comtemplating a move to a competitor. The program used vignettes to address the issues of the duty owed to the firm and clients, the disruption and impact on associates and clients, and the problems involved in defining and enforcing the nature and extent of the duty owed. In the skits, a law firm was substituted for the professional sports team and the players and their well-publicized behavior was translated easily into the presentation.
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The Evolution of Parentage Law in California as Affected by Scientific, Social and Other Developments--Or Who's Your Daddy?
The Earl Warren AIC, Oakland, CA
This program sought to tell the legal story of recent methods of conception and cases that have resulted in an entertaining manner. The program adapted songs from "Oliver!" to illustrate the evolution of parentage law in California. Each song in the program was preceded by a summary of a case or cases explaining an issue important to parentage law. such as what is the best for the cild, what should be the rights of a surrogate mother, or what should the law require before a name can be put on a birth certificate? After the adapted song, a moderator led a discussion about the possible outcome of the case.
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