Report Writing - Court Observations

Part 1: Summary of what you observed

Prepare a written report to be handed in following the format below (you can use any layoutyou like, as long as you address as many points as you can).

Page 1 of 2Page 2 of 2

Part 1 should be a summary of what you observed, including:

? Citation of the case (including the link of the video you observed).

? Name of the Parties

? Place of Trial or Hearing

? Date of Trial or Hearing

? Courtroom number and name of the Judge

? Court File Number

? Level of Court (i.e. Provincial Court or Supreme Court)

? Trial by Jury or Judge

? Summary of Facts

? Crown’s/Plaintiff’s Argument

? Defendant's Argument

? Any decision (including reasons for decision) if you hear it.

Part 2 should be a summary of your impressions, including:

? Your views on the court proceedings you have seen (Did anything surprise you? Orwas it what you were expecting? How did you feel? And why?)

? Your views on parts of the process you thought were effective and or not effective(Did you identify any ways the process be improved?)

? What did you think of each side’s lawyers? Did one side (e.g. prosecution/defence,or plaintiff/defendant impress you more? If so, explain why.

? Were all of the parties (including the accused if a criminal case) in attendance?Was anyone else watching the case?

? A discussion of the appropriateness of the proceedings, the role of the Judge, thejury (if applicable), the lawyers and the litigants

On your written report ensure that your name and student number is in the header/footerof each page. There is no need for a title page. Your final word count is to be shown atthe