Simulating the Litigation Experience: How Mentoring Law Students in Local Cases Can Enrich Training for the Twenty-First Century Lawyer (2014)

I. THE TRAGEDY OF DEANNA GREEN 799II. WHY SHOULD WE CARE HOW LITIGATION PRACTICE IS TAUGHT? 803III. TRADITIONAL LAW SCHOOL TEACHING V. OTHER LEARNING MODELS 805IV. APPROACH TO THE SIMULATION CLASS OF DEANNA GREEN 812V. CLASS FORMAT 815VI. TEAMWORK COMPONENT OF THE SIMULATION 820VII. CLASS PROJECTS AND EVALUATIONS 827VIII. ATTENDANCE AT COURT HEARINGS 830IX. LEGISLATIVE REFORMS 830X. CONCLUSION 832I. The Tragedy of Deanna GreenIt was an unthinkable event. On May 6, 2006, fourteen-year-old Deanna Camille Green was killed when 237 volts of electricity surged through her body.1 * * * * * * 8 9 On that warm Friday night, she was playing softball in her church league as she had done on many other occasions. This particular evening, however, would be very different. While Deanna stretched, an unusual thing happened to her that almost went unnoticed. Deanna, a tall, strong, athletic girl, lost consciousness and fell into her mother Nancy's arms.2 Nancy, who often played softball with her daughter, called to her child to determine what was wrong. Despite Nancy's best efforts, Deanna did not respond to her mother's voice.3 An ambulance was called to the scene.After a period of uncertainty and confusion, Deanna was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that evening.5 Prior to her collapse, Deanna had been stretching on the fences that were near the baseball diamond. 6 She was unaware that the fences were constructed on top of underground power lines that provided electricity for the lights that illuminated the field. It would ultimately be determined that stray voltage electricity, surging from the power line, electrified the fence.7 The power line installation had worn down over the years and had come in contact with the bottom of the fence post, which became exposed through the concrete footer that held the fencing in place. When Deanna held both fences while stretching, she became grounded and a deadly charge of electricity completed the circuit through her body.The case received a great deal of attention in the local press.8 Not only did the bizarre nature of Deanna's death catch the attention of news media,9 but Deanna's father, Anthony Bubba Green, who played professional football with the Baltimore Colts, was also a reason that so many became interested in the case.10 Deanna was a noted lyric soprano singer who had been recently accepted to the prestigious Carver Academy for Music and the Arts in Baltimore County, Maryland.11 Her music teacher called Deanna her shining star.1All of these factors fueled interest in the tragedy. The news media was also interested in the legal ramifications of the incident.13 Baltimore city officials were concerned about the future safety of the park as they investigated the issue.14 Although the family sought legal counsel soon after the incident, it would be several years before legal proceedings would begin.15These proceedings produced one of the most unique training opportunities imaginable for any law school simulation class. This Article attempts to describe that experience, and how it enriched the education of the students who participated in it over the several years that the litigation played out in the local courts. Whatever one thinks of this teaching technique, it is clear that these activities changed the students, lawyers, and teachers who participated in this organic learning experience. …