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The Street Lawyer

Factual: Crime & Justice

BBC Radio Scotland - The Street Lawyer

Crime writer Denise Mina joins students in a mock trial of a famous murder case.

Denise Mina finds out about street law, where law students teach legal skills to high school pupils. Street lawyer Emmanuel De Abreu helps them take on a famous murder case.

Crime writer Denise Mina joins students in a mock trial of a famous murder case. It's part of a project called Street Law, started by a bunch of law students in Washington DC in the 1970s. The idea is to give young people knowledge of how the law works and equip them with the skills to become active citizens, advocating for their communities. Now the classes are being run by the Law Society of Scotland in over 45 schools.

Today, street lawyer Emmanuel De Abreu meets sixth year students from Lochend Community High School in Easterhouse, Glasgow. Together they are going to examine crucial evidence in a famous US murder case and take part in a mock trial where they take on the roles of defence and prosecution.

As the students gain confidence presenting their case, Emmanuel has a few surprises up his sleeve, revealing the dramatic events from the real life trial.

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