Baylor Law Students Take on Titanic Sinking in Mock Trial

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Media Contact: Frank Raczkiewicz, (254) 710-1964
Waco, Texas (June 21, 2012) - In April 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, which resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 lives. Students from Baylor University Law School will try to prove there was negligence in this maritime disaster during their upcoming "Big Trial" court program.

The trial begins at 2:15 p.m., Monday, June 25, in Room 127 at the Law School. It will continue through Friday, June 29 and will be free and open to the public.

The trial will be based upon the real series of events that led to the Titanic sinking. The trial will feature Baylor Law students acting as counsel for plaintiffs Esther Hart and Madeleine Astor, and defendants International Mercantile Marine Co. and Harland & Wolff. This "mock trial," held at the law school twice a year, uses modern law, technology, and theories as applied to the facts from 1912. Throughout the case, the law students trying the case will call witnesses, introduce evidence and argue the case before a jury.
"Big Trial" is part of Baylor Law School's rigorous Practice Court program and is the closest law students will come to the "real world" they ultimately will face in the legal profession. After months of preparing their cases, they will step in front of a judge and a jury, where they are expected to conduct themselves in a full trial process, defending or prosecuting, analyzing, and making convincing speeches to juries.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, classified as such with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Ranked fifth in the nation for advocacy by U.S. News and World Report magazine, Baylor Law School is a professional school that combines theory with practice and nurtures a commitment to service and responsibility. Established in 1857, Baylor is centrally located in Waco, Texas, on the banks of the Brazos River. Every year, Baylor Law students achieve one of the highest bar passage rates in the country and enjoy an excellent career placement rate. Law firms, courts, and government agencies recognize that graduates of Baylor Law are equipped with the problem-solving techniques and practical, hands-on lawyering skills necessary for success in the workplace. As a professional school, Baylor Law School has a particular obligation to develop students who have the character, maturity, skills, and values needed to provide legal services competently to their clients upon graduation and to assume leadership within one's community and profession.