On October 31, Mestia Magistrate's Court hosted a moot jury trial, supported by the USAID Rule of Law Program. The jurors were represented by Mestia public high school students, and the opposing parties were composed of the "paralegals" of the Adjara region, the students of Batumi Shota Rustveli State University, who have received specialized training on a range of legal issues, and are qualified to offer the primary legal assistance.
Paralegals in Batumi are also actively involved in information efforts, the campaigns, which target the population's legal awareness raising, and are carried out in the region with the help of the USAID Rule of Law Program. Mestia students asked a lot of thought-provoking questions, talked extensively about the mock trial process, and ultimately reached a decision after the hot discussion.
David Simonia, the Director of the Legal Aid Service, emphasized the particular need of increasing high school students' awareness of the law. A large number of them will probably have to sit through jury trials in person, when they grow up. They will find it much simpler to make decisions if they participate in such events, that will definitely enhance the legal system in the long run.