• Check out the 2007-2008 schedule to find available dates
  
• Submit a signup form with your choice of date(s)
  
• Contact us with questions or comments
  

Progam Dates and Times
The program is offered on Thursday mornings throughout the school year. Tours typically begin at 8:45 a.m. and end at approximately 12:00 noon.

Meeting Location
The attorney tour guide will meet the student group at the San Francisco County Courthouse located at 400 McAllister Street (at the corner of Polk Street, across from City Hall). Tour guides and students then typically proceed to Room 509 on the 5th floor of the courthouse to begin the tour.

How will students benefit from a Day in Court tour?
Students will have a rare opportunity to observe actual cases being tried in front of real judges and to experience the legal system in its actual day-to-day operation. Students will also develop greater respect for and understanding of the judicial system, and receive an introduction to career opportunities available within the judicial system.

What will students see during their Day in Court tour?
The students and their chaperones will move to several courtrooms over the course of the tour so that they may observe proceedings in several different cases. This will allow students to get maximum exposure to different types of cases and to observe different attorneys and judges in action.

What types of cass will students observe?
Students will observe civil cases which are litigated at the courthouse. These may include employment discrimination, evictions, medical malpractice, and personal injury cases. Few criminal cases are heard at this courthouse.

What is the role of the attorney tour guide?
Upon first meeting the group of students, the attorney tour guide will provide a brief orientation on the courthouse, the California judicial system, and civil trial procedures. After visiting the courtrooms, the students and tour guide will re-convene to discuss what the students saw and heard, and the tour guide will answer questions and obtain feedback from students and teachers on the program.

Will transportation be provided?
Each school is responsible for its own students' transportation to and from the courthouse.

Will there be chaperones for the students?
We ask each school to provide one parent chaperone for each 8-10 students who will attend the Day in Court tour.

Will refreshments be served?
Unfortunately, the Day in Court Program cannot provide refreshments. There is a cafe in the basement of the courthouse where food and drinks can be purchased, but these are not allowed in the courtrooms.