Anderson Kill & Olick, L.L.P. Contact: Anderson Kill & Olick, L.L.P. Project Description: A law firm created the Titanic Virtual Trial Site -- Jensen v. The White Star Line to help educators teach our nation's future jurors how the U.S. legal system works. Based on the blockbuster movie, the site features facts about the passengers which students can use in a mock trial. Sponsoring Entity: Anderson Kill & Olick, L.L.P. Number of volunteers: Lawyers in both the New York and Washington offices worked on the project, along with the firm's web counsel and web designer. Number of people benefiting: Impossible to say. The site has been getting over 200,000 hits per month since its posting in May 1998. The law firm has received over 100,000 requests for material and has heard from people all over the world, including Denmark and Hungary. Three Best Things about This Project: The site, which includes a teacher's guide, has links to other related sites so children can use it to learn how to navigate the web." "As a parent who has helped put on classroom programs, I know how excited children can get about putting on a trial. They all want to participate and it's great to see them so interested in learning how the system works." "The project began as part of the firm's "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" activities at its New York office. The trial sparked so much excitement that we decided to make the materials available to the general public on our firm's web site in celebration of Law Day and as a community-outreach activity. It's a way for the firm to give something back and it's been fun for us, too." Secret of Success: "The theme captured everyone's attention." What We Learned to Improve Project in the Future: Facts from the web site set the stage for a lawsuit involving a surviving passenger who lost her fiancé in the disaster and sued the shipping line. There was not an actual script, however, and "It was somewhat unrealistic for younger kids to come up with the dialogue. We learned that a lot of people want a real script." Approximate Cost: $10,000 Visit the Titanic Virtual Trial Site. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization