Opening Statement Presentations at KROK

Today was the final session at KROK. During the first hour I presented my lecture on the opening statement to about a dozen students in attendance. During the second hour two students, Ina and Olga, were brave enough to attempt to present their own opening statements, and both did very well.

Overall, the experience teaching at KROK has been a mixed bag. On the positive side, we have had good faculty support, as well as some individually very talented students. On the negative, there are a number of non-law students who do not bring the same focus and discipline to the task as the law students. Also, the numbers in attendance have been very low in comparison with the other schools, particularly the Academy and the Economics University. Nevertheless, this seems to be a relationship which deserves careful nurturing in the future.

The Defendant's Cage in the KROK Courtroom

Historically in Europe the Defendants in criminal trials would be required to sit in a cage in the courtroom. In England these cages would sometimes have subterranean staircases so that the prisoner would not even be able to walk to the cage, but would be led up from the depths. Of course, in the American view the cage is highly prejudicial to the Defendant's right of the presumption of innocence, and is not used. I don't believe that the Ukrainian courts actually use the cage anymore, but it was formerly in use. There is an old mock trial courtroom in the law school at the University of Economics and Law (also known as "KROK") with a prisoner's cage. It was suggested that I sit in the cage for a picture, which is at left. The young woman next to the cage is Ludmilla, one of the outstanding law student presenters from today.

Teaching at "KROK"

Today was my first experience teaching at the 15,000 student Ukrainian Economics and Law University (Університет Економіка та Права), also popularly known as "KROK," or "Step." I met with a small class in the mock trial room of the law school. Because we teach only a single two and a half hour session each week at KROK, the students did not have the benefit of two days preparation time which the other closing argument presenters enjoyed. I spent the first hour of my lecture going over the case file with the students and discussing presentation strategies with them. During the second hour about six of the students were brave enough to attempt a largely extemporaneous argument. Interestingly, at KROK, as with the other two law schools I worked at today, only a single student (in each case a woman) was brave enough to present for the prosecution. All of the others elected to argue the defense case. I suppose this was out of a mistaken belief that the defense case was easier. This, of course, is not the case, as the case file is so carefully crafted with balanced arguments for either side, that it doesn't really make any tactical difference to choose one side over the other. At KROK I was most impressed with the presentations of Ludmilla (seated on the front row at the right), who presented for the prosecution, and with Tanya (second from the left) who presented for the defense. Olga also tells me that there are other very promising students at KROK who were not in attendance today.

A Marathon Day

Today I taught at three different law schools for a total in-class time of five hours and twenty minutes. I first taught the second segment at the Academy of Advocates (Академії адвокатури України). We then traveled immediately to the Ukrainian Economics and Law University (Університет Економіка та Права), where I taught both segments one and two of my portion of the curriculum. This University is also popularly known as "КРОК,"which is the Ukrainian word for "Step." Finally, in the late afternoon I presented the second segment to the students at the Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University of Kyiv (Київський нацiональний економiчний унiверситетм Київ). More about each of these three sessions in separate entries will follow. Following the final class, I had dinner with Olga, and then returned home on foot at about eight o'clock p.m. I was very weary after a long and productive day.

Law Schools Where I Will Teach

My schedule has me teaching at the following Kyiv law schools:

• Academy of Advocates:
  Академії адвокатури України
  Taras Schevchenko Blvd, 27
  01032 Київ, бульвар Тараса Шевченка, 27
  8-044-234-4242
  metro stop –University (Red Line)


• Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University
  Київський нацiональний економiчний унiверситет
  м. Київ, Проспект перемоги 54/1
  38 044 4564142
  Metro stop - Shulyavka (red line)


• Kyiv International University
  Київський міжнародний університет
  49, Lvivska St.,
  Kyiv, 03179,
  8 044 450-06-31
  metro stop- Zhytomrska (Red Line)


• National Aviation University
  Національний авіаційний Університет
  Ukraine, Kiev, Kosmonavta Komarova Ave. 1
  03058
  8 044 406-79-01
  metro stop – not available


• Economics and Law University
  Університет Економіка та Права "КРОК"
  Lagerna Street, 30-32
  03113, Kyiv - 133
  8 044 455 57-57
  metro stop – Beresteyska (Red Line)

I teach Monday through Thursday, commuting from campus to campus, usually on the Metro, or underground subway system. I will present four lectures of about an hour and twenty minutes at each of the five schools.