Mock Juror for Public Defender Trial Training

Volunteers needed to participate in a jury selection exercise.

The New York State Defenders Association, a state-funded not-for-profit organization, is conducting its Defender Institute Basic Trial Skills Program at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. We are seeking volunteers from the community to serve as mock jurors on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, from 8:30 am to Noon. You are invited to join us for lunch immediately following the exercise. Parking at Skidmore will be provided.

The Basic Trial Skills Program teaches new public defenders trial skills. The program received the New York State Bar Association Criminal Justice Section’s Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Criminal Law Education and has been recommended as a model for similar programs across the state and nation by the Judicial Commission on Minorities.

We have found that using members of the public as potential jurors helps our lawyer training participants achieve a realistic learning experience. We need people from all walks of life who are willing to be questioned in a simulated courtroomenvironment (18 years and older, please). By volunteering, you will not only help train young public defenders; you will also get insight into how juries are selected in criminal trials.