Law 12

With the beginning of a new school year came the beginning of a new course: Law 12. I excitedly signed up believing it to be an acronym for Land Attack Warfare, an area of the US military. I arrived on the first day with my palms sweaty with anticipation to finally hold an automatic weapon. I sat down at my desk and imagined its satisfying weight, sleek metal body and potential for destruction lying in my hands; the feeling was incredible. IT was, however, extinguished when I read the second set of words printed on the course outline in front of me. Law 12 How to be a lawyer As you can imagine my disappointment was fierce. Little did I know that I had just made - other than the day I started using mechanical pencils - the best mistake of my life. Even after only a few days I recognized that this was going to be a fantastic class: I would enjoy Law 12 after all. This interesting course is spearheaded by two different teachers, each with their own unique and valuable set of skills. Science teacher and Debate and Model UN Coach Mr. Neil Bryant holds a strong presence in the classroom with his engaging teaching style; he runs most of the classes and has already taught the class thoroughly on things such as the differences between civil contempt of court and criminal law, and different types of non-pecuniary damages. Joining him with her superlative knowledge on the subject is local civil lawyer Mrs. Robyn Gage who is also presently working at a law firm in Victoria. She has been able to provide superb insight into areas which she knows well, such as aboriginal law. With these two sangfroid professionals in front of the class, boring moments are rare. Already this year the Law 12 class has tackled three real cases, one of them being the Clayoquot Sound protestors’ case. The class was able to individually identify the various litigations and charges associated with different plaintiffs and respondents, and provide their personal opinion as to whether or not the judge’s decision was correct. Because of Ms. Gage’s lawyer contacts, the class has already had the pleasure of the company of another practicing lawyer, Mr. Martin, to come and speak about specifics of his specialty. He works for a law firm in downtown Victoria and practices in the area of tort law. He is the first of six lawyers to come, and the class looks forward to every visit because there is no better way to gaining knowledge than talking to an expert on the topic. With an extensive chunk of lawyerly jargon under our belts, we journeyed out to the University of Victoria’s Law School. It was a truly engaging experience. First we were able to attend a class on criminal law. There we got a taste of what being a student in Law school would be like. Next we were able to talk to the admissions officer at the school to discuss the specifics of studying law at a post-secondary level, and how to earn a degree. As the last part of trip, the class split off into groups and competed fiercely in a scavenger hunt, hosted by current UVIC law students. The university students were able to answer all of our questions individually which helped contribute to a meaningful experience and more knowledge on the subject of law school. The hunt took us through UVIC’s venerable library and all of its impressive three floors. With the days’ activities over, the Law 12 class bussed back to Brentwood, having a much better idea of what being a student in law school would be like. For this the class would like to sincerely thank Mr. Bryant and Ms. Gage. Law 12 is off to a great start and is on track for an impressive inaugural year. Hopefully it will remain an elective course for year to come. Toby CH, Privett ‘15 What did one lawyer say to the other lawyer? “We’re both lawyers”