Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Students from De Esdoorn Primary School in Hombeek attended the Court of First Instance in Mechelen for a hypothetical court case. Boosting confidence in justice was the goal of this initiative, which targeted young individuals early on.
The fifth- and sixth-grade students of De Esdoorn primary school in Hombeek participated in a mock trial at the Court of First Instance in Mechelen as part of an exclusive initiative that focused on boosting faith in the justice system.
The Lawyer at School program enables trainees to take part in simulated court proceedings through fictional case scenarios which let them experience judicial processes directly. Based on the comments of initiative organizer Alex Buelens, who is a lawyer, the project works to build juvenile trust in justice through courtroom procedure education.
The students received different assignments, which made them perform as lawyers alongside witnesses while serving as both judges and journalists. They had to act as the accused in the simulation of a fictional court case about birds that escaped from an aviary. The participants received scripts, yet they were welcome to deliver their lines with personal flair during the role-play.
It is a fictional story in which a number of birds escaped from an aviary. It had remained open. Each pupil is given a specific role. There are judges, lawyers, various parties, witnesses and journalists. They are given a text but the children are free to use it freely and creatively,
says Buelens.
Estee took on the role of the accused.
I really enjoyed it but I was stressed that I would forget my lines. I would still like to do it, although I don’t think I ever want to be a lawyer or a judge.
Vik played a journalist.
I had to write an article about everything that was said. I would like to be a journalist myself later, but it depends on how much I earn from it.
Manon was the chairwoman of the court.
That’s a kind of judge who sits in the middle of the room. We had to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not and what punishment he or she would get. It was fun to see all that in real life and to act it out.
Why was the “lawyer at school” initiative launched in Belgian schools?
Belgian citizens demonstrated decreasing trust in their judicial system in recent surveys as reported in the 2022 Eurobarometer report, where only 42% of people showed confidence in their courts. The Lawyer at School program brought courtroom experiences directly to students as a solution for this issue.
The Flemish Bar Association backs the project, which started reaching 150 schools in 2020. Local officials at Mechelen specifically prioritised legal education by developing partnerships between judges and attorneys to teach young students.
Flanders‘ Law in the Classroom initiative produced the same outcomes as shown through visual data indicating improved legal awareness among students after their participation. The constructed bird escape scenario used for the exercise stemmed from the input of legal experts who wanted to convey abstract court principles to children in an approachable manner. The educational project supports Belgium’s civic education objectives because many educational institutions now teach practical law content.
