Amicus Curiae is Brock University’s pre-law society that aims to provide students with a host of experiences and skills for life.
The Brock Press interviewed Amicus Curiae’s Club President Stephanie Stuart and Club Executive Wenyang Ming.
Stuart describes Amicus Curiae as “friend of the court, and it reflects our belief that the law should never exist in isolation. At its core our club is about students supporting students while learning how to advocate with confidence, compassion and purpose.”
Stuart explained that Amicus Curiae is a club open to students with any career interest, not just those who want to be lawyers. Stuart emphasized that members don’t need any prior experience, career plan and they are even welcome to dress casually.
“Legal empathy is the heart of everything we do,” explained Stuart. She detailed that the club believes that law is ultimately about the people: “every case, statute and ruling is a real human story.”
For Amicus Curiae, legal empathy represents an understanding of who the law protects and who it leaves behind, learning compassionate advocating and how power, vulnerability, harm and responsibility interact.
Stuart emphasized that Amicus Curiae is meant to give a welcoming space for learning, encouraging people to make mistakes and to feel uncomfortable as part of the process. The club is open for those who want to “try things for the first time and grow together.”
Stuart elaborated on the clubs’ activities, explaining that giving back to the community is one of the core pillars of Amicus Curiae. Fundraisers aimed at raising awareness and support for causes such as sexual assault, domestic violence and suicide prevention are some examples.
Stuart noted that the club will be hosting a sexual assault awareness fundraiser and lawyer panel in late January.
As Stuart put it, fundraisers “connect advocacy to real legal work,” bringing lawyers to students and demonstrating the law’s potential in terms of protection, support and justice. Stuart expressed the importance of students being able to see the intersection between law as a theory and the “real pain, resilience and change” found in it.
Amicus Curiae also holds lawyer panels, several of which will take place next semester. Legal panels involve multiple lawyers across different areas of law who help students get a grasp of what a legal career actually looks like, including the “highs and real challenges,” while allowing for questions.
Mock trials are another activity hosted by Amicus Curiae. Mock trials simulate the courtroom experience, allowing students to take on the role of a lawyer.
In a mock trial, students work with a full legal case, including elements such as evidence, exhibits and witness statements. Stuart describes mock trials as a venue for building confidence and public speaking, training students to think under pressure in a competitive, intense manner that’s “dramatic in the best way.”
Stuart said that students have full freedom to choose to compete or enter any of the club’s events, and that novices are often paired with more experienced members for teaching purposes.
Stuart expressed that one of the most rewarding parts of mock trial was the experience of seeing formerly timid students become confident speakers in the courtroom.
Amicus Curiae also hosts social events aimed at relaxation and community creation here on campus.
Amicus Curiae has also expanded its offerings, adding a section dedicated to moot court currently run by Ming.
Ming explained that moot court is a level of advocacy that occurs on the appellate level, whereas mock trial is trial-level advocacy. Amicus Curiae, through adding moot court, is aiming to demonstrate both sides of legal argument.
Mock trial is what comes to mind for most students when thinking of law. It involves a defense, prosecution, witness and expert opinions in a hearing of facts between a judge and jury to determine guilt.
On the other hand, moot court involves a dispute of either the interpretation of the law or how the law was applied in a specific case. A common example would be a charter challenge, in which a charter right is alleged to have been broken, according to Ming.
Moot court involves disputing recent real life legal decisions. Participants delve into legal research through documents such as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to find evidence and apply legal reasoning against the decision.
Participants need to argue both sides of an argument in moot court, where the judge’s job is to “throw you off in the cruelest way possible,” according to Ming.
All prospective lawyers eventually must do a moot in law school. Experience in moot court trains students to conduct legal research in the same manner as lawyers with the same level of required rigor and accuracy, as Ming explained.
Ming went on to say that moot court explores the nuances of an accurate legal argument such as how the jurisdiction of a law affects persuasiveness in court. It trains organization both in oral argumentation and research.
Ming explained that mooting teaches students how to understand court cases in their abstract and their practical applications in their legal challenges.
Ming noted that Amicus Curiae is preparing to offer training on how to conduct a moot on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. though a specific room hasn’t been decided yet.
Stuart and Ming reiterated that Amicus Curiae is open to all and that “it’s not about having it all figured out. It’s about being willing to show up, try and learn.”