Douglass Students Make Debut at State Mock Trial Competition

April 28, 2006 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Briefcase

"Court is now in session."  Those few words strike a note of anxiety and excitement and create a surge of adrenalin in even the most seasoned attorneys.  Recently, those words marked a historical moment for Douglass High School as two teams competed in the Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Competition for the first time in the school's history. Opened as the first new high school as part of Oklahoma City's MAPS program, the new Douglass High School promises to bring its students to a new level with a newly designed curriculum that allows students to take courses in business and law.  Oklahoma City University School of Law and Patricia Hatamyar, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, have been instrumental in establishing a business and law curriculum.

For the Douglass moot court teams, the competition was a catalyst in starting toward a new educational opportunity and a taste of legal success as both teams competed as far as the quarter final round in their first year of competition.  Several students earned awards in the competition, including "Best Attorney Awards" for Korean Washington, Da? Sor Horton and Shantel Love and "Best Witness Awards" for Savanah Hudson, Ryan Florie, Kyra Thorton, Dayon Sutton, and Lynette Anderson.

Two teams from Douglass were given the opportunity to experience the podium and the witness stand firsthand in the competition. Members of Team One were Korean Washington, Da Sor Horton, Savanah Hudson, Laressa Irvin, Sheldon Smith, Ryan Florie, and Bryant Florie. Members of Team Two were Shantel Love, Lauren Anderson, Lynette Anderson, Kyra Thorton, Lynessia Rucker, Gneisha Gulley, Dayon Sutton, and Patrice Williams.  In competition, each student proved to be a source of pride for Douglass Principal Vallene Cooks, who also expressed her gratitude for the coaches who gave up hours of valuable time to guide the teams. Team One was coached by a group of attorneys led by Jerome Holmes of the firm Crowe & Dunlevy, and Team Two was coached by a group of attorneys led by Cassandra Williams of the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office.

Team One's coaches offered students a variety of legal backgrounds from which to learn.  For coach Linda Samuel-Jaha, this competition marks a full circle.  A graduate of Douglass High School, Jaha knows the advantages this early exposure to the legal world can give the Douglass students.  Jaha, an attorney with Eddy & Jones, PC, gave the students the benefit of not only her real world experience in the legal field but also her experiences as a graduate of their same high school.  Students also learned much from Oklahoma City attorney, Don Smitherman.  Smitherman teaches a pre-law course at Douglass where students learn basic constitutional and criminal law with a focus on the mock trial competition.  This course introduces a variety of students to law.  For example, one student entered the class with the dream of being a choreographer; when she learned the importance of legal assistance in operating a successful dance company or show, she stayed in the class to learn more about the legal profession.

In addition, attorneys from the firm of Crowe & Dunlevy offered Team One the benefit of learning from a wide range of legal backgrounds and levels of experience.  As part of its commitment to diversity in the practice of law, Crowe & Dunlevy sponsored one of the Douglass teams from inception to completion of the competition.  Attorneys Jerome Holmes, Gary Davis, Tanya Bryant, and Will Hoch taught the Douglass students the basics of trial law and gave them valuable feedback on how to present a winning case.  In addition, Nkem Houseworth, a third year law student at the OU College of Law, helped keep practices and schedules moving smoothly as he helped with the logistics of the competition.

Team Two benefitted from the coaching of a team of attorneys from the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office.  Coaches were Cassandra Williams, Patricia High, Steve Deutsch, Sandra Elliott, and George Burnett; in addition, James Siderias of the firm Durbin Larimore & Bialick, assisted the students with their opening and closing statements.  This group of coaches provided Team Two the benefit more than 100 years of combined courtroom experience.  In addition, students enjoyed the rare opportunity to observe their coaches in trial.  Further, District Attorney, Wes Lane, was on hand to provide the students with encouragement as they prepared for the competition.  On the whole, these coaches approached the competition as an opportunity to educate the students about the District Attorney's Office and its purpose.  The success of the coaches' goal was quickly realized.  Students who were initially wary of the prosecution side of their mock trial case asked to change from defense roles to prosecution roles.  Team Two's coaches willingly gave up their Saturday nights and their Sunday afternoons to work with the students on voice projection, responses to objections, and trial demeanor.  Most rewarding, according to Coach Cassandra Williams, was seeing the students go from acting the part of a witness or an attorney to actually being a witness or attorney.  As Team Two grew in its perception of the prosecution of legal cases, the students took away the additional knowledge and education to drive them toward their future goals. This knowledge base will continue to grow for these students as the coaches from the District Attorney's Office will begin assisting with the legal education class at Douglass in April.

The experience and knowledge that the students gained from the competition was very valuable.  However, the competition also gave the students the opportunity to have fun. Set in the imaginary State of Utopia, the competition case introduced students to criminal prosecution and defense.  On Halloween night, the Grim Reaper appeared at midnight, serving drinks, one laced with drugs.  That night, the cocktail was deadly, and the stage was set for a finger pointing war.  Whether prosecuting or defending Lynn Miles, the alleged the "Grim Reaper," the teams exhibited professionalism and poise that would be the envy of many first year law students.  Each team was comprised of students acting in the roles of two attorneys and several witnesses.  For each witness role, the students were required to know the facts of the case and the demeanor of their characters.  While the students' performance in character required a great deal of preparation, the more challenging part of the competition came in the form of the adversarial procedure.  The teams were pitted against unfamiliar schools and unfamiliar students, each with their own strategy and presentation of the case.

True, the teams learned much about the legal process, and such knowledge is always an advantage.  However, the real value of this experience came in what the students learned about themselves.  Basketball stars were transformed into well-versed attorneys.  Shy students became fierce witnesses on the stand, unfailing in their portrayal of their characters.  At a point in the trial, students ceased to be students and became detectives, witnesses to a crime, and attorneys.  The competition provided the students with a self-awareness and confidence that will serve them well as they prepare for futures in law or business.