Good Read
The Building of a Mock Trial:
A Guide to Crafting a Successful Legal Simulation
The Honorable Danielle P Roberts Henry County Superior Court
The Honorable Danielle P. Roberts makes it clear who she is and who she isn't. "I am not just one thing. I am native to GA and I am the second oldest of 11 siblings. I am a problem solver by nature." Judge Roberts is a public servant deeply committed to helping and healing the community she serves. As a superior court judge in Henry County, GA, the second oldest of eleven kids leans heavily on the lessons she learned from her Deacon father, United Methodist Minister paternal grandfather, and Southern Baptist Minister maternal grandfather.
"Every day of the week, if there was an opportunity to serve, we did it. If there was a way we could be of service, my grandparents and my father taught us to do that, and that is something that is very important to my husband and me. That is something that we try to model for our kids and our community." To further make her point, she continues, "It's our civic duty regardless of whether you're a judge, a public defender, or a prosecutor. I think each and every one of us has a role to reach back to the community that gave to us." It is these lessons, these guiding principles, that have made Judge Roberts such a dynamic leader. Last year, she started a "Mock Trial" team at a local high school to teach kids the importance of how our legal system works. "I reached out to individuals at Woodland High School in Henry Co. They didn't have a team, and we got a teacher coach to volunteer to spearhead it for us. I serve as an attorney coach for the team along with Marcus Thorpe, who used to be a prosecutor in Darius Patillo's office. So what we do is expose those students to the judicial system, to criminal justice. We alternate between civil and criminal justice cases, and they actually learn what the role of the judge is, and what the importance of the jury is in the community." The program is very detailed and thorough in its scale and scope, teaching the kids about the system. "We teach them how to serve as attorneys. We teach them the rules of evidence; they do opening statements, direct and cross-examination of their witnesses. They lodge objections." The program has been an unqualified success in its two years of existence, advancing to district competition in its first year and, at the time of this writing, being undefeated, having won every round, and now being one of 18 teams heading to state competition. "Some students have an interest in law, some in drama, some are good at math and usually become timekeepers. What we like to do is expose them to different opportunities, to different concepts. What I have found as a public [is that] we have some misconceptions about how important it is for us to play a role in the judicial system and how big a role we play as jurors and how big an impact we have on our youth when we come in the schools and volunteer and expose them to more than just sports and academics."
Game Changers Magazine - Phenomenal Women Issue
