preview

Court Visit

Decent Essays

Aim

The aim of the court report is to get you out of the classroom and into the courtroom to see how the law works in practice! We would like you to visit a court to observe proceedings for a couple of hours and then write a report on your visit.

Planning your court visit

It is important to have an understanding of the court system before you embark on your visit. Therefore, please complete the required reading for Week 1 and 2 before visiting a court.

Your best chance of seeing a court case from beginning to end will be in the Local Court or District Court. Please be aware that there is no certainty that the magistrate or judge will reach a decision while you are in court and we do not expect you to stay until a decision is …show more content…

Your reader will be able to understand the rest of your report better if they begin with a clear picture of the setting. Some details about the cases being heard will be posted on a notice board in the court foyer or, as stated previously, you can often find out such information from the Court Officer.

B) The court proceedings

This section is to be the body of the Report. We ask that you discuss your interpretation of the roles that participants were playing in the courtroom, the kinds of interactions between them, the evidence and the way in which it was presented. It is important to discuss the role of the judge or magistrate, lawyers and parties to the proceedings and any others worth commenting on in some detail. These details can include the extent the presiding officer played an active part, the degree of formality or informality in the proceedings, the degree of hostility or otherwise between the participants, some details of the evidence and the way in which evidence was presented. If a final decision was reached in the case, then explain the outcome and any reasons given for the decision. As previously explained, not all cases will come to a conclusion in the time you have available to observe proceedings. In these cases, from what you have observed, what do you think will be the likely conclusion of the case? In discussing the outcome or likely outcome of the case, comment on whether you agree with the decision or what you think may be the

Get Access