Lawyers in the Classroom Project give students an appreciation for the law
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Fifth-grade students at Pittsburgh Allegheny K-5 on the North Side participate in a mock trial. From left are the bailiff, Hugo Garcia; defendant "Jackie Bean," played by Isaiah Trembulak; prosecutor, Jaquan Peter, and the judge, John M. McIntyre of Reed Smith.
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It took the jury less than five minutes yesterday to reach a verdict in the unusual case of State v. Bean.
Jackie Bean was found guilty of trespassing but not guilty of stealing a hen that produced golden eggs.
"I think it was fair," Mr. Bean said of the outcome. Then he and the other fifth-graders at Pittsburgh Allegheny K-5 on the North Side went to their next class.
The mock trial concluded this school year's Lawyers in the Classroom Project, sponsored by the Downtown law firm Reed Smith.
Isaiah Trembulak, who played Mr. Bean, was sentenced to one week of detention. (The sentence evidently was suspended because Isaiah was all smiles after the trial.)
In all, 18 lawyers taught six lessons to about 75 fifth-graders. The program began in January and included an overview of the Bill of Rights, the criminal and civil legal systems, the intent of laws and how ambiguities lead parties to court.
No forensic evidence was presented yesterday. The case -- shades of the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk" -- turned on witness accounts.
Mr. Bean was charged with trespassing on a farm owned by a certain Mr. Biggs and stealing Henrietta, one of three lucrative hens living there.
Prosecutors alleged Mr. Bean swiped Henrietta from the henhouse because he believed Mr. Biggs had ripped him off on the sale of a cow.
Mr. Bean, taking the stand in his own defense, admitted nothing.
Prosecutors Jaquan Peters and Ray Dean established Mr. Bean's presence at the farm, located at the top of a giant beanstalk.
But defense attorneys Riley Kelly and Tayshauna Lester hammered home that nobody actually saw Mr. Bean carry off Henrietta. In addition, two other hens -- Cam, played by Shyaire Howard, and Juanita, played by Jennifer Garrett -- testified that Henrietta had a history of trying to escape the coop.
"We usually catch her, but sometimes she gets away," Juanita said.
Jayme Butcher, an attorney concentrating in commercial litigation, huddled with the prosecution before the trial. Jeff Bresch, a partner in the commercial litigation practice, advised the defense. John McIntyre, also a partner in commercial litigation, talked to the jury and the bailiff about their roles.
"I would ask the jury to please keep an open mind throughout the case," he said.
Mr. Bean's fate was different in the two other classes that tried the case. In one class, he was acquitted of both charges; in the other, he was convicted of both.
In addition to giving students an appreciation for the law, the program was designed to boost their analytical skills, Ms. Butcher said.
Students said they liked the hands-on nature of the program, conducted during library class.
"It teaches us not to do the bad things in life or this is how it's going to end up," Cody Schnupp, the jury foreman and courtroom sketch artist, said.
At the trial's end, Henrietta's whereabouts remained unknown.
The law firm Sachnoff & Weaver began Lawyers in the Classroom in Chicago in 2003, and the program continued after the firm's merger with Reed Smith in 2007. This was the first time the program was offered in Pittsburgh.
State v. Bean was one of three cases developed for the program. The other two involved Salem witches and the Big Bad Wolf.
First Published May 12, 2009 12:00 am
