UPDATE - May 2009 15 YEARS AND STILL ADVANCING Last April, (2009), I spoke at a prestigious law school in Sacramento California. The audience consisted of several Superior Court Judges, attorneys, Professors of law, law students and other interested parties. This came about as the result of Law Professor Joe Taylor's year long, thorough research into the details of the Cobain Case prior to its use as the foundation for this spring's Trial Advocacy program. The Trial Advocacy case was written as a wrongful death, civil lawsuit. These mock trials are designed to teach, train and prepare law students for the various aspects of actual courtroom trials. The jury verdicts came back 4 and 4 with one hung jury. This was an indication to me that Professor Taylor's script was very well written for the purpose it was designed to serve. Professor Taylor sent me a copy of the "Gilbert VS. O'Neil" script far in advance of April 2009, when these mock trials began. It was acknowledged from the outset that this fictional case was clearly based on the real Cobain case. The names and many of the circumstances and details were deliberately changed. This would enable the law students assigned to represent either the plaintiff or the defendant an opportunity to present their case to the jury from a more balanced perspective. The various outside volunteer jurists used for each of the nine mock trials could then potentially reach an honest finding for either side. This helped test and critique the skills of each participating law student on an individual basis. I was extremely honored to have been invited to present my opinions of the Cobain Case after the last mock trial, to an audience which included such distinguished attendees. At the conclusion of my 70 minute presentation, many of those in the audience gathered at the side of the "Courtroom Auditorium" where I spoke with them individually and answered additional questions for another 30 minutes or so. What did I learn? As I watched the students present their case and listened to a currently sitting Superior Court Judge who volunteered his time to critique each of the participating students after the last mock trial, I realized that if I would have attended law school when I was younger, I would be a much better public speaker! Law school is a great place to prepare for nearly any career. Thank you to Pacific's McGeorge School of Law and especially to Professor Taylor for your respect, your kindness and your gracious hospitality. Thank you also to each of the law students and others who demonstrated courtesy and true professionalism. You all helped make this one of the most gratifying experiences of my professional career! Tom Grant