Aspiring legal professionals get experience with prosecutors

ATLANTA -- It was the climax of the murder-for-hire trial.

The prosecutors said a business rivalry pushed a local pizzeria owner to seek revenge on a fellow restaurateur. The defense said there was no proof, just hearsay from witnesses who should themselves be investigated.

The two sides rested their cases, and the judge called for a break. Then several dozen teenagers at once broke the decorum they maintained over the past two hours spent in a Gwinnett County courtroom. They turned to one another excitedly, recapping highlights from the mock trial, breaking down the cross-examination and speculating about the jury’s decision.

The teenagers were part of the Junior District Attorney and Investigator Mentorship Program, learning the basics of law and order and getting an early introduction to the profession. The mock trials were the culmination of the two-week summer program.

The program started in 2022 with just a dozen participants and doubles as an educational opportunity and a potential recruiting tool. This year, there were about four dozen participants.

Like many government sectors, there are concerns about workforce shortages in the legal profession.

“Across our state, there are deficits in the numbers of court reporters, prosecutors and public defenders, court staff and even sheriff’s deputies,” Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs said in his February State of the Judiciary address. “Just as it is critical to have enough doctors, nurses and teachers to adequately deliver health care and education services to our citizens, so too must Georgia have...