MiniTrials + The Paisley Snail

The Faculty of Advocates Open Day

2011-11-01T18:14:00.000Z

The latest Faculty of Advocates Open Day took place on 21 November 2011.
Click here for details on the Faculty website

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2011

2011-09-18T13:51:00.000+01:00

The 7th annual "South Ayrshire MiniTrials" took place on Saturday 19 November 2011 in Ayr Sheriff Court. The schools taking part were:

Ayr Academy

Belmont Academy

Carrick Academy

Girvan Academy

Kyle Academy

Marr College

Prestwick Academy

Queen Margaret Academy

Well done everyone.
http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/
Download "South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2011" Starter Pack

Scottish Council of Law Reporting on YouTube

2011-09-12T18:22:00.004+01:00

Well done to the Scottish Council of Law Reporting (SCLR)

for their YouTube videos featuring none other than

"The Paisley Snail".

Go to YouTube - SCLR videos

Go to the SCLR website

Try "The Paisley Snail MiniTrial"

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011

2011-08-25T19:24:00.001+01:00

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011 are also being planned for 26 November 2011 in Paisley Sheriff Court. Rumour has it that they will be re-enacting the case of "The Paisley Snail".
Well done to Ronnie Bain and all those involved.
Brilliant.

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2011

2011-06-30T17:57:00.004+01:00

The 9th Annual "Edinburgh MiniTrials" took place
on Saturday 8 October 2011 in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
The schools taking part included:

Boroughmuir High School
Broughton High School
Castlebrae High School
Currie High School
Leith Academy
James Gillespie’s High School
The Royal High School

Download "Edinburgh MiniTrials 2011" Starter Pack
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011

2011-05-28T16:49:00.012+01:00

The Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011 took place
on Saturday 22 January 2011
in Paisley Sheriff Court.
Download "Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011"
Photos - Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011
www.renfrewshire.gov.uk

Victoria Primary School MiniTrial - Edinburgh 2011

2011-05-27T18:45:00.048+01:00

As featured on BBC Radio 4's "Law in Action"
Go to the "Law in Action" webpage for 28 June 2011
"A very successful initiative" - Joshua Rozenberg

BBC News Scotland - online coverage by Lucy Ash

Well done Victoria Primary School - and all concerned! Brilliant.
Special thanks to Joan Spencer of Trinity Academy who made the Primary School MiniTrials possible.

Download the "Edinburgh Primary School MiniTrial" starter pack
See FACe - The Newsletter for Families and Children in Edinburgh
More Primary School MiniTrial materials
Victoria Primary School Edinburgh
Trinity Academy Edinburgh

MiniTrial Facebook Page

2010-11-10T18:26:00.028Z

Go to the MiniTrial Facebook Page
Including:
Photos - Trinity Academy, Edinburgh, 2002
Photos - East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2002
Photos - Tayside MiniTrials 2004

For more Scottish heraldry - visit:
The Court of the Lord Lyon
And see right sidebar for: "Azure, a bend engrailed Or between a fox's mask Proper in chief and a cartwheel Argent in base"

Dumfries and Galloway

2010-10-27T17:05:00.020+01:00

New materials. New location.
Download "Dumfries and Galloway MiniTrials 2011"
For further assistance contact
The Faculty of Advocates MiniTrial Co-ordinators

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011

2010-10-23T12:56:00.020+01:00

The East Renfrewshire MiniTrials took place
on Saturday 12 March 2011
in Paisley Sheriff Court.
Download "East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2011"
http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/
Photos - Paisley MiniTrials 2008

Glasgow MiniTrials 2011

2010-10-23T12:52:00.024+01:00

The Glasgow MiniTrials took place
on Saturday 19 March 2011
in Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Andrew Cubie, one of the main event organisers, said:
"We had five schools, who provided six teams; there were about 70 pupils, all of whom threw themselves with great enthusiasm into the event. We had excellent support from the clerks, the police, Reliance, the local bar and fiscals as well as the Faculty who provided our sheriffs. ... I am still receiving feedback, universally positive and we have had a number of requests to make this a regular event."
Congratulations to the pupils - who were from Craigholme School, Hutchesons' Grammar School (two teams), The Glasgow Academy, St Aloysius' College and Jordanhill School.
See also the Jordanhill School Newsletter - "MiniTrial" Article
Download "Glasgow MiniTrials 2011" materials

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2010

2010-10-11T08:26:00.024+01:00

The 6th annual "South Ayrshire MiniTrials" took place on Saturday 13 November 2010 in Ayr Sheriff Court. It was another very successful day and all the schools did exceptionally well. Those participating were: Ayr Academy, Belmont Academy, Carrick Academy, Girvan Academy, Marr College, Prestwick Academy and Queen Margaret Academy. Many thanks to all those who assisted.
Download "South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2010"
http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/
Girvan Academy online article
Photos - Ayr MiniTrials 2010
Photos - Ayr MiniTrials 2009
Photos - Ayr MiniTrials 2006
Photos - Ayr MiniTrials 2005

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2010

2010-10-10T23:08:00.030+01:00

The 8th Annual "Edinburgh MiniTrials" took place on Saturday 9 October 2010 in Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The consensus was that they were "fantastic"! Congratulations and "well done" to all the schools and the many teachers who took part from: Craigmount High School, Trinity Academy, St Thomas of Aquin's, Firhill High School, St Augustine's High School, Portobello High School, James Gillespie's High School and Forrester High School. The event was organised and supported by Joan Spencer from Trinity Academy. Particular thanks go to the Sheriff Clerk's Office in Edinburgh, together with Reliance, the Witness Service, and teams of lawyer volunteers from The Procurator Fiscal Service, The Edinburgh Bar Association, and The Faculty of Advocates, with of course bespoke MiniTrial materials and support from http://www.minitrial.org.uk/ . As always, all the supporters worked together efficiently and professionally to provide a realistic credible court experience for the schools. Well done to all of them. It was also great fun. Dr John Campbell, Head Teacher, Craigmount High School, was kind enough to write thanking the court team for "an excellent, educational day. The event has had a great motivating impact on the young people involved".

Cllr David Beckett also kindly joined the schools for part of their day.

Download "Edinburgh MiniTrials 2010"

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Photos - Edinburgh MiniTrials 2010

Photos - Edinburgh MiniTrials 2009

Photos - Edinburgh MiniTrials 2008

Small Claims - small civil cases in the Sheriff Court

2010-10-10T22:35:00.015+01:00

For some helpful guidance from Scottish Courts about Small Claims (small civil actions) - which are dealt with in the Sheriff Court - see Small Claims Guidance Notes

MiniTrials

2010-10-09T17:41:00.009+01:00

Please remember - if it is not from the MiniTrial website, then it is not a MiniTrial.
If in doubt please contact:
http://www.minitrial.org.uk/

Forensic Science MiniTrial 2010

2010-03-07T16:24:00.059Z

An exciting new version of the MiniTrial materials has been prepared - with a "Forensic Science Module". It relates to a charge of assault to severe injury and it is now available for "download" free from http://www.minitrial.org.uk/. This is all thanks to Nichola Mortimer, a biology teacher, at St Margaret's School in Edinburgh who enlisted the help of several lawyers as well as forensic scientists from SPSA Forensic Services and from the University of Edinburgh. The pupils in S4 investigated a mock crime-scene which Nichola prepared as part of the school's contribution to National Science and Engineering Week in March. They then examined the items recovered in their lab (with guidance from Nichola and forensic scientists) and prepared an excellent Forensic Science Report which included detailed findings and conclusions relating to fingerprints, blood and DNA. The pupils then gave their evidence as "expert witnessses" as part of a MiniTrial which was run in school - with help from the Faculty of Advocates and others. The pupils played all the major roles in the trial (lawyers for the prosecution, lawyers for the defence, the accused, the complainer, witnesses, jurors, media representatives and court staff) - all with the assistance of real lawyers. S1 and S2 were in the public benches. As part of their preparations the S4 pupils also visited Edinburgh Sheriff Court - including the cell area - thanks to David Shand, the Sheriff Clerk. Sarah Wolffe QC acted as the presiding sheriff at the trial - which took place on 1 April 2010. The Crown were assisted by Isabella Ennis and the defence by Kim Schofield. Having regard to the whole evidence, including the forensic science material, the verdict of the jury was "Not proven" - by majority. It was a close call. Congratulations to all those who took part. Well done.

Junior School MiniTrial 2009

2009-11-11T14:16:00.024Z

The St Margaret's Junior School (J5) MiniTrial 2009 took place
in school, in Edinburgh, on 26 November 2009.
It was the case of HMA v Goldilocks and there were 3 main witnesses.
By majority the jury found the charge against Goldilocks "not proven".
Download "Goldilocks MiniTrial"

For further Primary School materials try

Download "District Court MiniTrial"
(No Jury required - Password "district")

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2009

2009-10-12T15:52:00.014+01:00

The South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2009 took place
on Saturday 24 October 2009
in Ayr Sheriff Court.
http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2009

2009-10-12T15:52:00.011+01:00

The East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2009 took place
on Saturday 21 November 2009
in Paisley Sheriff Court.
http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2009

2009-10-12T15:50:00.005+01:00

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2009 took place
on Saturday 10 October 2009
in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk

North Lanarkshire MiniTrials 2009

2009-01-14T19:52:00.006Z

North Lanarkshire MiniTrials 2009 took place on
Saturday 21 March 2009
in Airdrie Sheriff Court.
http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2008

2008-10-05T14:08:00.019+01:00

The East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2008 took place on Saturday 25 October 2008 in Paisley Sheriff Court. In addition to a criminal trial, the pupils re-enacted the world famous case of "The Paisley Snail" in four different civil jury trials. And the verdicts?
Two of the four juries found for the defender.
Two of the juries found for the pursuer.
One jury awarded £625 - with past solatium of £375.

The other jury awarded £7,250 comprising:-

(1) past solatium £5,000;
(2) future solatium £2,000;
(3) wage loss £ 200 (agreed);
(4) misc. expenses £ 50 (agreed).

See also The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland Online
http://www.journalonline.co.uk/News/1005837.aspx

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2008

2008-06-20T20:08:00.009+01:00

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2008 took place
on Saturday 4 October 2008
in Ayr Sheriff Court.
See South Ayrshire Council News
http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/news/South-Ayrshire-MiniTrials-2008__329.aspx

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2008

2008-06-05T22:14:00.007+01:00

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2008 took place
on Saturday 11 October 2008
in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Scottish Schools Law Project

2008-03-26T14:24:00.005Z

The Scottish Schools Law Project has a new web-site at
www.schoolsproject.co.uk/slp/slpsplash.htm
or use the link opposite.

Tayside MiniTrials 2008

2008-03-17T13:31:00.001Z

Tayside MiniTrials 2008 will be taking place
on Saturday 8 November 2008
in Dundee Sheriff Court.

The Elizabeth Mace

2008-02-13T23:09:00.003Z

A Sean Groat video - narrated by Jimmy Stewart

North Lanarkshire MiniTrials 2008

2007-10-28T15:14:00.000Z

North Lanarkshire MiniTrials 2008 will be taking place on
Saturday 15 March 2008
in Airdrie Sheriff Court.

Falkirk MiniTrials 2007

2007-10-28T14:16:00.000Z

Falkirk MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Friday 30 November 2007
in Falkirk Sheriff Court.

Clackmannanshire MiniTrials 2007

2007-10-28T14:15:00.000Z

Clackmannashire MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Tuesday 27 November 2007
in Alloa Sheriff Court.

Stirling MiniTrials 2007

2007-10-28T14:12:00.000Z

Stirling MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Friday 9 November 2007
in Stirling Sheriff Court.

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2007

2007-09-01T13:28:00.000+01:00

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Saturday 24 November 2007
in Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2007

2007-09-01T13:24:00.000+01:00

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Saturday 6 October 2007
in Ayr Sheriff Court.

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2007

2007-09-01T13:21:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2007 will be taking place on
Saturday 6 October 2007
in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The Paisley Snail Civil Jury Trial

2006-07-09T12:30:00.002+01:00

The materials for the Paisley Snail Civil Jury Trial
are available for download from www.minitrial.org.uk
or click on

http://www.minitrial.org.uk/pdfs/CivilJuryTrial.pdf

Clackmannanshire MiniTrials 2006

2006-06-24T19:34:00.000+01:00

Clackmannanshire MiniTrials 2006 will be taking place on
Tuesday 21 November 2006
in Alloa Sheriff Court.

The materials are now available from
www.minitrial.org.uk or click on

http://www.minitrial.org.uk/pdfs/Clackmannanshire.pdf

Stirlingshire MiniTrials 2006

2006-06-24T19:32:00.000+01:00

Stirlingshire MiniTrials 2006 will be taking place on
Tuesday 31 October 2006
in Stirling Sheriff Court.

The materials are now available from
www.minitrial.org.uk or click on

http://www.minitrial.org.uk/pdfs/Stirling.pdf

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2006

2006-05-22T20:39:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2006 will be taking place on
Saturday 7 October 2006
in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

East Ayrshire MiniTrials II

2006-05-19T20:54:00.000+01:00

New materials for the East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2006 are now available from www.minitrial.org.uk or click on -

http://www.minitrial.org.uk/pdfs/eastayrshire.pdf

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials II

2006-05-18T17:37:00.000+01:00

Good news. Some new materials have been prepared for the East Renfrewshire MiniTrials on 10 June 2006. Thanks to Sean Murphy QC we now have a new case concerning alleged dangerous driving. The MiniTrial II starter pack is available for download in PDF format from www.minitrial.org.uk or click on the link below -

http://www.minitrial.org.uk/pdfs/eastrenfrewshire.pdf

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2006

2006-03-28T14:11:00.000+01:00

East Renfrewshire MiniTrials 2006 are being planned for
Saturday 10 June 2006 in Paisley Sheriff Court.

East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2006

2006-03-05T19:16:00.000Z

East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2006 are being planned for
Saturday 25 November 2006 in Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2006

2005-11-20T18:53:00.000Z

South Ayrshire MiniTrials 2006 are being planned for
Saturday 18 March 2006
in Ayr Sheriff Court.

East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2005

2005-10-30T13:13:00.000Z

East Ayrshire MiniTrials 2005 will be taking place on
Saturday 26 November 2005
in Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

Glasgow MiniTrials 2005

2005-06-26T22:49:00.000+01:00

Glasgow MiniTrials 2005 will be taking place on
Saturday 29 October 2005
in Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2005

2005-06-26T22:46:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh MiniTrials 2005 will be taking place on
Saturday 8 October 2005
in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The Faculty of Advocates

2005-06-11T22:00:00.000+01:00

A fascinating insight into life at the Scottish Bar - from the CA Supplement.

http://www.advocates.org.uk/

downloads/casupplementnewsmay2005.pdf

Procurator Fiscal Service, Inverness

2005-05-17T23:08:00.000+01:00

Andrew Laing, the Area Procurator Fiscal for Highland and Islands at Inverness, has kindly offered to help with community involvement.

See Andrew's post under the heading of "Citizenship". Many thanks Andrew. Much appreciated.

Can we tempt some Inverness schools to run MiniTrials in the Castle? All we need are the schools.

MiniTrial for Primary Classes

2005-05-08T14:58:00.000+01:00

There is a simplified MiniTrial available which might be more suitable for primary classes.

It is based on district court procedure and does not require a jury.

Go to www.minitrial.org.uk / downloads page / "District Court MiniTrials".

Edinburgh Sheriff Court

2005-05-07T20:46:00.000+01:00

David Shand, Sheriff Clerk, Edinburgh, said:-

Here at Edinburgh Sheriff Court we organise a number of school visits throughout the year where we provide an introduction to the Scottish Legal System. If we were aware of law-related topics that were both informative and relevant to the pupils visiting the court that would be very helpful.

DJS

The Law Society of Scotland

2005-05-07T11:41:00.000+01:00

Read the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland - online.

http://www.journalonline.co.uk/

Citizenship

2005-05-05T14:55:00.000+01:00

Could a Scottish teacher (or two) please suggest a law-related topic that school pupils would find useful to research as part of their citizenship studies or school curriculum?

Then perhaps a Scots lawyer (or two) could provide some raw data or legal materials that might be of use to a wide range of schools - either by posting their comments here or by suggesting a link to some other source of helpful information.

Just a thought.

Tribunals

2005-05-05T14:40:00.000+01:00

Download a copy of "Adjust" - the Newsletter of the Council on Tribunals.

http://www.council-on-tribunals.gov.uk/files/adjust2.pdf

The Faculty of Advocates

2005-05-02T15:41:00.000+01:00

Download Newsletters from the Faculty of Advocates - at

http://www.advocates.org.uk/news/news.html

Suggest a topic for discussion

2005-04-23T22:02:00.000+01:00

Why not suggest a topic for discussion - in relation to Scots Law or citizenship in Scotland or the Paisley Snail - and then contribute to the thread?

Trinity Academy, Edinburgh

2005-04-23T20:47:00.000+01:00

Trinity Academy provided the spring-board for MiniTrials and a number of other law-related educational ideas. Their comments on these materials would be much appreciated.

Students and Teachers

2005-04-23T20:37:00.000+01:00

Please provide some feedback.
Is the internet a useful means of delivering law-related educational materials? Are the materials here helpful? Any suggestions for improvement?

Suggest a Link

2005-04-23T20:36:00.000+01:00

If you have any suggestions for helpful new links relating to Scots Law, Education or The Paisley Snail - please include them as a comment.

Scottish Council of Law Reporting

2005-04-21T23:27:00.001+01:00

If you are looking for details of the famous Scottish case of Donoghue v Stevenson - the case of "The Paisley Snail" - go to the web-site of the Scottish Council of Law Reporting.

http://www.scottishlawreports.org.uk