The Art of Bail: As Taught at TRU Law

Is it Your Honour or Justice? Is it the first name or first initial? Do I really spell out my last name?

Truthfully, these are just a few of the questions that rolled around my brain the first time I ever spoke in court, and that was just to introduce myself. For some reason, that first court appearance during my 1L summer—in a criminal initial appearance room, no less—was one of the most nerve-wracking moments I'd ever felt.

You see, law school is an exceptional tool for teaching. It allows you to discover, learn, and understand law theoretically. Moots and extracurricular programs can help provide more practical knowledge, but they aren't always representative of everyday practice. Instead, everyday practical knowledge often isn’t obtained until you're thrown into the crossfire. I would know—I've been there.

It's this very notion that inspired the TRU Faculty of Law's Criminal Law Club more than two years ago. Here, fuelled by the need for practical criminal law engagement, we established a first-of-its-kind Mock Bail Hearing Competition.

In February 2024, we took over three courtrooms at the Kamloops Law Courts, where we held live mock bail hearings throughout the evening. Based on a previously provided fact pattern, students competed as individuals or in pairs as either Crown or Defence counsel in a simulated bail hearing. These hearings occurred in actual courtrooms, with our students making real submissions before three current Provincial Court judges. Joining our Honourable Judges were student volunteers acting as both clerks and the accused, Mr. John White, with local Sheriffs also assisting to make the simulation as realistic as possible. In the end, our Honourable Judges determined bail for each hearing, with both teams then receiving live feedback from the judges on their advocacy and submissions. Our club awarded each courtroom's best advocate a prize for extra motivation.

This past February, we expanded to five courtrooms and 30 teams, with two Honourable Judges travelling from the Lower Mainland to participate. With resounding support from our faculty and the local Kamloops bar, our participants truly obtained an opportunity like no other. With rave reviews, this event proved to be a massive help for law students looking to get an actual feel for court procedure, general litigation skills, and everyday criminal practice—outside of law school theory and well before full-time legal work. The event has certainly made an impact, with firm interviewers quizzing our participants during recruits and our university creating a short video documentary. A new judicial internship program at the Kamloops Law Courts, inspired by the success of our event, will begin in the fall.

The TRU Criminal Law Club and the TRU Faculty of Law should be known for experiential opportunities like these. In fact, law schools everywhere should provide events like these, not only because students want them, but because they meet a need. I would have done anything to have had this experience before my first summer. These practical skills, across more diverse practice areas, are what we need as tomorrow's lawyers. Although our event will always be the first, our club hopes to see more law schools joining TRU in seeing beyond just the textbooks. These student-led initiatives make TRU Law what it is, and I couldn't be more proud.

The TRU Criminal Law Club looks forward to hosting its third annual edition of the TRU Mock Bail Hearing Competition next year. We hope to see you all—lawyer, firm, or student—learning right there alongside us.

Photo: Students, Faculty, Sheriffs, and Judges photographed from above during the 2nd Annual Mock Bail Hearing Competition on February 3rd, 2025