From Courtroom To Classroom

The book is replete with invaluable suggestions how to be a more effective teacher at the high school level drawn from a combination of common sense and first-hand experiences in and out of the classroom with both students and teachers. The focus is on establishing a relationship of trust and respect with the students by providing them with voice and choice, which will provide the requisite foundation for successful teaching while maximizing the learning process for the students. Among the many questions addressed include: Why give up a lucrative career in the law to become a teacher? How are lawyering skills similar to those needed to be an effective teacher? Why do some teachers take things said or done by their students personally? Are younger high school teachers too young? Are too many teachers allowing their egos to get in the way of their teaching? Are teachers paying enough attention to all of their students? How important is a supportive administration to good teaching? Last, what should we be teaching our students?

In 1960, at the age of twenty-seven, the author, Sidney B. Silverman, started his own law practice. He began by tackling corporate giants and never stopped until he retired in 2001. He was an aggressive, street-smart trial lawyer. Upon his retirement, Silverman enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University. Concentrating in philosophy, he received a masters degree in 2007. He was as competitive in the classroom as he was in the courtroom. After graduating he looked for another challenge. He had played chess for many years. Now he wanted to play in tournaments and become a chess master. Although he tried hard to become an expert chess player, he failed. A Happy Life chronicles Silvermans adventures, before, during and after his long and successful career. What pieces of wisdom can he share that will help readers to find their best, most successful retirement years? Read on.

After retiring from a successful law practice, Silverman enrolled in graduate school and at age 74 received a master's degree.

From the Classroom to the Courtroom: A guide to interpreting in the U.S. justice system offers a wealth of information that will assist aspiring court interpreters in providing linguistic minorities with access to fair and expeditious judicial proceedings. The guide will familiarize prospective court interpreters and students interested in court interpreting with the nature, purpose and language of pretrial, trial and post-trial proceedings. Documents, dialogues and monologues illustrate judicial procedures; the description of court hearings with transcripts creates a realistic model of the stages involved in live court proceedings. The innovative organization of this guide mirrors the progression of criminal cases through the courts and provides readers with an accessible, easy-to-follow format. It explains and illustrates court procedure as well as provides interpreting exercises based on authentic materials from each successive stage. This novel organization of materials around the stages of the judicial process also facilitates quick reference without the need to review the entire volume — an additional advantage that makes this guide the ideal interpreters’ reference manual. Supplementary instructional aids include recordings in English and Spanish and a glossary of selected legal terms in context.

Transform your classroom into a courtroom and get ready for students to take part in a great learning adventure. The six trial simulations in this book let students delve into criminal and civil law with motivating cases that mirror situations in fairy tales, nursery rhymes, literature, and history. In the roles of attorneys, members of the jury, defendants, witnesses, and courtroom personnel, students prepare and conduct cases. They will learn to use statements of fact and witness affidavits to determine guilt or innocence. The book is divided into three sections that: define the types of courts in the U.S. court system; explain how to carry out a mock trial; and give six ready-to-use court cases, including all necessary documents. The court cases allow students to understand both criminal and civil trials, with three types of each case. The cases allow you to stage trials involving Hansel and Gretel, John Wilkes Booth, Little Miss Muffet, Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Jill, and Little Red Riding Hood. Don't miss this opportunity to teach critical thinking and teach students how to weigh opposing points of view. The exciting results will motivate students to exercise their reasoning skills, polish their communication skills, and apply knowledge of the legal system. This will become one of your favorite classroom adventures. For more judicial activities, see Blind Justice and On Trial. Grades 5-8

Kids will love exploring the justice system with the fun characters and stories found in More Jury Trials in the Classroom, the long-awaited companion book to the best-selling Jury Trials in the Classroom. Four new trial simulations are introduced, including a modern-day version of the tortoise and the hare story and a reenactment of a trial featuring Susan B. Anthony. The simulations in this book let students delve into criminal and civil law with motivating cases that mirror situations in history, folklore, and literature. In the roles of attorneys, members of the jury, defendants, witnesses, and courtroom personnel, students prepare and conduct cases. They also will learn to use statements of fact and witness affidavits to determine guilt or innocence.

This is an original, deliberately controversial and disturbing appraisal of the state of comparative law at the beginning of the 21st century.