Welcome, Counselor Nivin. Court is now in session. You're about to learn how laws, lawyers, judges, and juries work — and then you'll play juror, judge, AND lawyer in real mock cases. Ready to make your case?
Begin Training →A law is a rule that everyone in a society agrees to follow, and that the government can enforce. Laws tell us what we're allowed to do, what we're not allowed to do, and what happens if someone breaks a rule.
We have laws for three big reasons:
Almost every case belongs to one of two families. Learn the difference and you already think like a lawyer.
Someone is accused of breaking a rule that harms society — like theft or vandalism. The government brings the case. To win, the case must be proven "beyond a reasonable doubt" (almost totally sure). You're innocent until proven guilty.
A disagreement between two people or groups — usually about money, property, or a broken promise. One person (the plaintiff) sues another (the defendant). To win, your side just has to be "more likely true than not" (51%).
Read the case. Tap the family you think it belongs to.
A courtroom is like a stage, and everyone has a role. Tap each card to flip it and learn the job.
A trial follows the same steps almost every time — like innings in a baseball game.
Here's the cool part: great lawyers use the exact same persuasion tools you learned in Make Your Point! — ethos, pathos, and logos.
Read the evidence like a real juror. Make your decision, then reveal what a court would likely say. There are no "gotchas" — the goal is to think it through.
Twelve cookies were cooling on the kitchen counter. An hour later, only three were left. Mom accuses older brother Sam of eating nine cookies. Sam says he's innocent. You are the juror. Here's the evidence:
As the juror, is there proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Sam ate all nine?
Maya lent Jordan her new skateboard for the weekend. Jordan returned it with a cracked deck. Maya sues Jordan for $60 to replace it. This is a civil case, so you only need to decide what is more likely true than not. You are the judge.
Should Jordan pay to replace the skateboard?
The school gym wall was spray-painted overnight. Alex is charged with vandalism. Remember: innocent until proven guilty, and it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. You are the juror.
Is Alex guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?
This is a real case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1965, students including 13-year-old Mary Beth Tinker wore black armbands to school to peacefully protest a war. The school suspended them. The students said the school violated their First Amendment right to free speech.
You are on the Supreme Court. Who wins?
Each closing argument below uses one main persuasion tool. Tap the tool you think it's using. (Great lawyers know which one they're pulling from their toolkit!)
Grab family or friends and act this out! Each person picks a role. It takes about 10 minutes. (Tip: use your browser's Print to save just this script.)
Answer all 6 questions to earn your Junior Attorney badge. Tap an answer to lock it in.
| Plaintiff | The person who starts a civil lawsuit (says they were wronged). |
| Defendant | The person being accused or sued. |
| Prosecutor | The lawyer for the government in a criminal case. |
| Defense Attorney | The lawyer who defends the accused person. |
| Verdict | The jury's final decision. |
| Evidence | Facts, objects, or testimony used to prove something in court. |
| Testimony | What a witness says under oath (a promise to tell the truth). |
| Alibi | Proof you were somewhere else when something happened. |
| Objection | A lawyer's protest that a rule was broken. |
| Beyond a reasonable doubt | The very high proof needed to convict in a criminal case. |
| Appeal | Asking a higher court to review a decision you think was wrong. |