As the semester is winding down, in most classes you start seeing the real-world application of what you've been learning. In the school's law clinic, some students will get to go to court before the semester is over, some will not. So that everybody gets some "court" experience, we hold a mock trial, complete with student attorneys, witnesses, and faculty playing judges. The idea is to teach you how to make opening and closing statements, conduct direct and cross-examinations, object and make motions, and generally learn how a trial runs.
The students were each randomly assigned to one of three courtroom and to each role. Our client was a fictional grandmother trying to get legal custody of her two grandchildren who she was currently raising. Their fictional mother was the opposition. Because the students were randomly assigned to each role, we sometimes had males playing the role of the grandmother or mother. In my case, my "grandmother" client was a fellow law student who is over 6' tall, has a beard, and was wearing a suit.
Getting up in front of your fellow students is a very nerve-wracking thing. My voice was very shaky as I made my opening statement, and my opposition admitted later she was extremely nervous too. After opening statements I called my first witness, my "grandmother" client. Just as he takes a seat on the witness stand, the judge says, with a completely straight face, "The Court will ignore that this witness is a cross-dressing grandma who needs a shave."
At that moment we all nearly fell out of our chairs laughing. Once we managed to compose ourselves, we were able to continue with the trial. I don't know if the judge did this just to get us to relax; all I know is that we were definitely a lot less nervous when we started up again. Unfortunately my poor partner's new name around the clinic is "Gruff Cross-Dressing Grandma." I guess it just rolls off the tongue a lot easier than his old name.
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