December 2010
From October 19–21, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) conducted a mock trial training for 16 students from three Moldovan law schools. The training, the third in a series of six trial advocacy and mock trial trainings, allowed participants to practice adversarial trial skills in the context of a criminal case.
Law professors, prosecutors and defense attorneys lectured and led interactive exercises on analyzing facts, on telling stories from various points of view and on conducting direct- and cross-examinations. On the final day of the training, students performed a mock trial of a murder case, assuming the roles of prosecutors, defense lawyers, defendants and witnesses. A local judge presided over the proceedings and evaluated the students’ performances. She also answered students’ questions and encouraged their continued participation in mock trial exercises to supplement their studies.
Supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, ABA ROLI’s legal education reform program in Moldova provides practical legal skills trainings, and operates a mock trial program for law students and young lawyers.
To learn more about our work in Moldova, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at <[email protected]>.