Being a first year student in the Journalism program at Humber, there is a compulsory course I am taking this semester called Foundations of Newsgathering. In this course, the class is required to do assignments where we go into the field and write about stories in four categories: crime, courts, city council meetings, and the community. Having already finished the crime assignment, the class now has to sit in on a court case of our choosing and take notes on what we heard and saw.
Osgoode Hall at 130 Queen Street West in Toronto
So, I decided to go to Osgoode Hall, where the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Supreme Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada all reside.
When I first walked into the building, I didn’t quite know where to go, but a security guard checked me in and let me into the courthouse. After passing security, I felt like a fish out of water. With all the lawyers in their polished black robes walking around and so many foreign corridors to go into it, the courthouse was just overwhelming. After a couple minutes of going into wrong rooms and wandering around, I finally found the notice board that listed all the cases for the week, what courtroom they were in, and a map of the entire building (which I had to consult a couple times throughout the day).
Finally, Courtroom Ten!
Once I found courtroom ten, the courtroom I had to be in for my trials, I waited patiently for the Justices of the Peace to arrive into court so we could begin the trial. As soon as the trials started, I had to write, and write, and write. There was so much information to keep track of that it was almost impossible to take notes on all the things the lawyers and Justices of the Peace were saying. Also, since I didn’t understand the Supreme Court’s website and had to pick a case blindly, I was stuck trying to follow along with what has already happened in the previous trials. Basically, it became a very stressful day very quickly and I still have cramps in my hand from writing down notes!
Now, if you’re a young aspiring journalist like me and have to do court reporting for the first time, I would like to share with you a few tips that I learnt at my day at Osgoode Hall:
1. You can never dress up too much. In Supreme Court, all the lawyers, Justices of the Peace, and judges wear black robes that make them look like they’re straight out of a period piece movie (all they’re missing is the white powdered wigs!). If you show up to court in jeans and a hoodie, you will definitely feel out of place.
My messy, scratchy, terrible notes from court
2. Listen up! Between the two trials I sat in, I had to try and decipher what a mumbler and a fast talker were saying. This made taking notes, which were already hard enough to keep up with, just that much harder.
3. Try and keep up with the court lingo. In the trials I sat in on, the Justices and lawyers were passing around legal terms I’ve never heard of before like “willful blindness” and “stay”. My advice is to just write down the terms, keep taking notes about the proceedings, and just google what the legal terms mean later.
Elegant Victorian architecture in Osgoode Hall
4. If you have the privilege to be in a beautiful, old building like I was, look around! As a huge fan of the Victorian era, I found Osgoode Hall to be the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen in my entire life. With the combination of the coloured glass, detailed arched pillars, and intricate ceilings, a beautiful wooden library, and hand painted portraits of former Chief Justices of Ontario throughout the entire building, it is hard not to be in a complete awe of this gorgeous courthouse.
Built in the mid-1800s, Osgoode Hall is a prime example of Victorian Classical architecture and Canadian heritage. With the traditional courthouse inside holding up the practice of law, I think Osgoode Hall is a great place for a budding reporter to learn all about the court system, while marvelling at the beauty of this building.
shannon writes... 