Volunteers Needed -- Will You Help (From the Comfort of Your Own Home)?

 

I am passing along the below email message I received from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Please consider volunteering. I have modified the message a bit for emphasis. Thank you very much.

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, it is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the 2021 Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition. Like everything in our society, this year’s competition has been affected by the COVID-19 global health pandemic. To comply with social distancing requirements, the Mock Trial Executive Committee and volunteers across the state have operated this year’s competition virtually, providing students with some sense of normalcy has been a priority of ours throughout these crazy times. This year’s state championships will also take place virtually, via Zoom.

Now celebrating its 38th year, the Statewide Mock Trial Competition continues to thrive. What began with a few schools in the Philadelphia area has bloomed into a flourishing program involving over 300 teams and 3,000 high school students from across the Commonwealth. Students competing in the program work together, embracing the teamwork ideal, and prepare and try a legal case in court. Meanwhile, they hone their public speaking skills and learn valuable lessons about our legal system from the many volunteer lawyers participating in the competition. The State Competition will see the top 16 teams from around the state competing for the championship. This year’s State Champion earns the honor of competing virtually in the National Championships in Indiana later this spring.

The championship weekend begins with Rounds 1 and 2 on Friday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Round 3 is scheduled for Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 a.m. Because we have invited 16 teams this year, rather than our usual 14, we have also scheduled a potential playoff round for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. This year’s Final Round is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at 4:30 p.m.

To SIGN UP TO SERVE AS A JUROR in this virtual event, please click Judging Panel Volunteer Form to submit your offer to serve and to note your availability.

Law related education programs – such as this – help prepare a future generation of our society. These programs not only showcase the importance of our judicial system, but also the role our profession plays in our society. On behalf of countless high school students across the Commonwealth, as well as the Young Lawyers that tirelessly work on this competition, we thank you for your time.