The Edinburgh Schools MiniTrial will see children from eight local secondary schools taking part in mock criminal trials, presided over by members of the Faculty of Advocates.

Lord Mulholland, chair of the MiniTrials Steering Group, will welcome the S5 and S6 pupils to the event at Edinburgh Sheriff Court this Saturday where Mark Lindsay KC, Safeena Rashid, Paul Harvey, and Gerard Coll, will preside over the mock trials.

Lord Mulholland said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the children to the annual inter-schools event and especially the new schools taking part in this year’s event. The Edinburgh MiniTrial is now a fixture of the legal calendar and work is under way to hold similar events in other sheriffdoms. 

“MiniTrials provide an opportunity for pupils to take part in a mock trial, analyse evidence and present a case, which improves their critical-thinking and public-speaking skills. They will learn how the justice system works and it will hopefully encourage some to pursue a career in law.”

The following schools are taking part in this year’s event: Boroughmuir High School; Currie Community High School; Holyrood High; Leith Academy; St Thomas of Aquin’s; Tynecastle High School; and Trinity Academy. 

The MiniTrial initiative, which was launched in 2002 by Lord Kinclaven to help promote legal education in schools, sees pupils taking part in mock criminal and civil trials. The annual event is supported by legal volunteers from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Edinburgh Bar Association, COPFS and the Faculty of Advocates.