White and Williams Lawyers Host Mock Argument Exercise for New Jersey LEEP Students

White and Williams' Newark, NJ office hosted a mock oral argument for four high school students from the New Jersey Law & Education Empowerment Program (NJ LEEP). NJ LEEP was founded in 2006 to empower youth from underserved neighborhoods in northern New Jersey to greater educational achievement through a three-fold focus on skills, habits, and exposure. NJ LEEP focuses upon combining law-related education programming with college access programming. The high school students that visited White and Williams were interning with the legal department of Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc. 

Managing Partner of the Newark Office, Robert Wright, Partner Rafael Vergara and Associates Zaara Bajwa Nazir and Sean Rose organized and coached the students through a mock oral argument exercise. The argument involved a cell phone search case where a fictional defendant appealed a trial court’s order allowing admission of evidence obtained from a search of his cell phone subsequent to a lawful arrest. Split into two groups, petitioner and respondent, the students were coached by Rafael, Zaara, Sean and members of Horizon’s legal department to develop their arguments and to anticipate their adversary’s arguments as well as the judge’s questions. The students then presented their arguments and were subjected to questioning from “Judge” Wright. Demonstrating poise, tenacity and quick-thinking in their presentations and responses to judicial questioning, the students all made compelling arguments, identified and responded to their adversary’s strongest points, and developed their communication and presentation skills.