Last weekend, early Saturday morning, I headed out the door. My destination was the San Jose Courthouse and my reason for going was jury duty. This wasn’t your normal jury duty, however.
The Benchmark Institute, a legal education and training nonprofit in San Francisco, runs a week-long workshop for attorneys who serve low-income communities.
I heard about this event through the Silicon Valley Japanese-English Toastmasters Club, which I am a member of. Indeed, out of 16 jurors 13 were from various Toastmasters clubs.
In addition to being a great volunteer opportunity, it was great practice for my speech evaluation skills and a no-pressure introduction to what goes on during a jury trial.
The Benchmark Institute only runs this training once every two years, however, so you will have to wait until 2012 to get your chance.
Reflections on Japan 