Defence prevails in Grade 11 mock trial

Students in the Grade 11 Criminal Law class recently performed their Final Summative mock trial under the teaching supervision of Mr. Bruce Maxwell. 

"Regina vs. Brogue" was a fictional first-degree murder case in which Wally Brogue was accused of killing David Benning. 

Before the mock trial, the students spent the first two months of their class elective studying legal theory, followed by six weeks of preparing by applying the theory.

The boys took on many roles as either lawyers and witnesses for either the Crown or Defence side. Representing the Crown side were Jamie Wiseman, Benjamin Yedid, Matthew Kapusta, Renaud Jaar, Victor Nicolet, Seth Baily, and Beck Majdell, who consulted in preparation but was unable to attend in person due to outside hockey commitments. The Defence was represented by students, Mackenzie Blaise, Jacob Arbeiter, Josh Samuels, Jack McLernon, Zac Zaiden, Vito Guzzo, and Alexandre Wang. 

Old Boys Vincent Prager ‘59, Eric Sutton ‘72 and Imtiyaz Bandali ‘20, volunteered as judges and demonstrated fantastic leadership throughout the proceedings.

The 3-hour plus trial resulted in a victory for the Defence as Wally Brogue was acquitted of all charges. 

‘‘It was a fun and enjoyable experiential learning exercise for all the boys who were involved,’’ said Mr. Maxwell. ‘‘Hopefully, it inspires some of the boys to pursue law as a career down the road.’’

Opportunities for promising law candidates

Each year at graduation, the recipient of the Vincent Prager ‘59 Award for Law receives an invitation to spend two days at Dentons law firm over the summer.

Other students who show a passion and skill for law are also set up with other law firms around Montreal, where they spend a few days in the summer within a coop framework.