50p
A Judicious Journey to the Land of Law
The sun is absent. I mumble a greeting to my classmates with my eyes half closed. Tripping up the bus stairs while trying to caffeinate myself, I smile with joy. It’s 5am, and we’re headed to Vancouver.
The Thursday before midterm, the Law 12 class - accompanied by Mr. Bryant and Mrs. Gage - woke up at a profane hour of the morning (4am for me) and ventured to Vancouver where we saw the profession in action. We visited the Provincial and Supreme Law Courts, as well as the law firm of a Brentwood alumnus.
Boarding our 7:00 am ferry, Katlan S, Allard ’16 promptly proclaimed as we stepped over the boat’s threshold, “I’m getting hash browns.” And that she did. With the sun still not risen, but a combination of coffee, hash browns, and chatter, we managed to all wake up to some degree or another.
Departing from the luxurious decks of our BC Ferry, we switched modes of transportation to that of a bus. City bus, that is.
Upon arrival to the Law Courts, we were given a rundown of basic procedure, and some basic guidelines of court watching. After that, we were given a schedule of some of the more interesting cases that were happening that day.
Onward we went, through the twisty seemingly-nonsensical layout of the Supreme Court House to watch the law being exercised before our very eyes. I went straight to watch a 1st degree murder case. All of us were surprised by a few things: the quiet, the lack of interruptions, and the amount of time one person can talk for. Often when we’d walk in, it would be one lawyer speaking, and they would be talking for the whole time we were there (somewhere between 15-45 minutes in each case).
There was plenty of time to explore the various cases. From youth court, to motor-vehicle accidents, to fraud, to murder, to the court of appeal, we saw quite the variety. After a quick lunch break, we were back at it for a couple more hours.
It was extremely valuable to get to see what we were learning in class put into action. We were also given the opportunity to have a question and answer session with a judge and a sheriff. It was interesting to see how they differed in regards to questions about their personal biases, career paths, and whatever else we could think to ask.
Departing from the Law Courts, we were off to a distinguished law firm, Fasken Martineau, of Mr. Blair Horn, Whittall ‘79, Vice Chair of the Brentwood Board of Governors. Stepping off the elevator on the 29th floor, I could have sworn I was on the set of Suits. We were led to a boardroom overlooking the water: a fantastic view even in the fog and rain. There we were greeted with much appreciated drink and snacks, and of course, two extremely approachable and knowledgeable lawyers. They gave us a brief overview of their job and career paths, and then it was open to us to ask as many questions as we humanly could.
Looking back, this was probably one of the most helpful experiences we could have had. We got to talk to people who actually do what we are studying, which is extremely valuable. Seeing our studies in action made it all seem more real, and made me want to study and learn with more passion.
Jaclyn C, Alex ‘16
The Thursday before midterm, the Law 12 class - accompanied by Mr. Bryant and Mrs. Gage - woke up at a profane hour of the morning (4am for me) and ventured to Vancouver where we saw the profession in action. We visited the Provincial and Supreme Law Courts, as well as the law firm of a Brentwood alumnus.
Boarding our 7:00 am ferry, Katlan S, Allard ’16 promptly proclaimed as we stepped over the boat’s threshold, “I’m getting hash browns.” And that she did. With the sun still not risen, but a combination of coffee, hash browns, and chatter, we managed to all wake up to some degree or another.
Departing from the luxurious decks of our BC Ferry, we switched modes of transportation to that of a bus. City bus, that is.
Upon arrival to the Law Courts, we were given a rundown of basic procedure, and some basic guidelines of court watching. After that, we were given a schedule of some of the more interesting cases that were happening that day.
Onward we went, through the twisty seemingly-nonsensical layout of the Supreme Court House to watch the law being exercised before our very eyes. I went straight to watch a 1st degree murder case. All of us were surprised by a few things: the quiet, the lack of interruptions, and the amount of time one person can talk for. Often when we’d walk in, it would be one lawyer speaking, and they would be talking for the whole time we were there (somewhere between 15-45 minutes in each case).
There was plenty of time to explore the various cases. From youth court, to motor-vehicle accidents, to fraud, to murder, to the court of appeal, we saw quite the variety. After a quick lunch break, we were back at it for a couple more hours.
It was extremely valuable to get to see what we were learning in class put into action. We were also given the opportunity to have a question and answer session with a judge and a sheriff. It was interesting to see how they differed in regards to questions about their personal biases, career paths, and whatever else we could think to ask.
Departing from the Law Courts, we were off to a distinguished law firm, Fasken Martineau, of Mr. Blair Horn, Whittall ‘79, Vice Chair of the Brentwood Board of Governors. Stepping off the elevator on the 29th floor, I could have sworn I was on the set of Suits. We were led to a boardroom overlooking the water: a fantastic view even in the fog and rain. There we were greeted with much appreciated drink and snacks, and of course, two extremely approachable and knowledgeable lawyers. They gave us a brief overview of their job and career paths, and then it was open to us to ask as many questions as we humanly could.
Looking back, this was probably one of the most helpful experiences we could have had. We got to talk to people who actually do what we are studying, which is extremely valuable. Seeing our studies in action made it all seem more real, and made me want to study and learn with more passion.
Jaclyn C, Alex ‘16