Due to COVID-19, OJEN has suspended all face-to-face programming, including mock trials, for at least the remainder of this school year. For many students who have already invested time and effort into preparing for the OBA-OJEN Competitive Mock Trial (OOCMT) program, this is a great disappointment.
In consultation with the OBA, teachers and committee heads, OJEN is therefore moving forward with an alternative approach to the OOCMT for this year, ‘R v Kaye: The OBA-OJEN Criminal Law Challenge’ (OOCLC). Students have an opportunity to work independently or with a team to draft Opening and Closing Statements for the mock trial case, R v Kaye. This will not be a traditional ‘competition’; no winners will be announced. Students will receive feedback on the statements they submit, but will not receive rankings. We are currently accepting submissions for Opening Statements.
To assist students in their preparations, our ‘Ask a Lawyer’ forum is now open. Lawyers will be available to answer participants’ questions and provide feedback through the message board. There is also a separate ‘Discussion’ board for participants to interact with each other.
The OBA and OJEN will be publishing online witness examination videos, with lawyers demonstrating direct and cross examinations of each witness in the R v Kaye case. Participants can refer to these videos to draft their closing statements.
Portions of the OOCLC will remain on the OOCMT webpage permanently as a resource for future participants.
For all other information on the program, including the timeline, submission guidelines, and more, please go to https://ojen.ca/en/oocmt/r-v-kaye-challenge. At this time, teachers or students may still make submissions, or participate in the forums.
For more information, contact Bryn Rieger at oocmt@ojen.ca.