It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. (Discuss)

A mock trial is a contrived or imitation trial. It is similar to moot court, but mock trials deal with trials, while moot court deals with appellate court. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers to test theories or experiment with each other. In a mock trial the rules are often abbreviated in order to focus on particular parts of the trial. Image File history File links Derived from public domain images featured at: http://commons. ... In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ... Moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Appeal. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... For other uses, see Volunteer (disambiguation). ...

Mock trial is also the name of an extracurricular program in which students participate in contrived or fake trials to learn new skills and compete with each other. At some law schools, the term trial advocacy is used for the program. Various organizations such as state bar associations sponsor mock trial/trial advocacy competitions for middle school students, high school students, college students, and law students. Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education. ... For other uses, see Student (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary/elementary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. ... For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... College (Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an educational institution. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ...

Interscholastic mock trials takes place on three levels. High school competitive mock trial has an annual national competition governed by the National Mock Trial Association. The competition on the college circuit is governed by the American Mock Trial Association. The college circuit also has an unofficial online forum at Perjuries Mock Trial. Finally, there is mock trial/trial advocacy at the Law School level such as the National Trial Competition hosted by the Texas Young Lawyers Association.

Competition framework

Trial information is sent out in summer to early fall (depending on the level) to each of the competing teams. This information consists of the charges and basis of the case, rules that must be followed, and affidavits of each of the testifying or potentially testifying witnesses.^[1] Additional information including documents, maps, and diagrams are often included to help teams understand the situation of the case. These can often be introduced at trial as exhibits. Look up exhibit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Teams have to study and analyze this information and form their case by the time of competition, typically held in winter to early spring.^[2] Each state has its own case every year that is different than the national case. This means that the winners of the state competitions, who move on to nationals, must study and prepare a completely different case in time for the National High School Mock Trial Competition in May.^[3]

The teams consist of a maximum of eight official members.^[4] These eight members must be organized into two teams of six for the prosecution/plaintiff and defense sides. Both of these six-member sub teams consist of three attorneys and three witnesses.^[5]

Trial Procedure

A student giving his closing argument during a mock trial

The trial begins with the prosecution/plaintiff giving an opening statement followed by the opening statement of the defense. After the opening statements, examination of the witnesses begins. The prosecution/plaintiff calls up their witnesses first. An attorney for the prosecution/plaintiff does a direct examination of the witness. Once the direct examination is complete, the opposing team may cross-examine the witness. After the cross-examination, if the first team chooses, they may redirect the witness and, likewise, the other team may do a re-cross after this. This process is repeated for the two remaining plaintiff witnesses. Once the prosecution/plaintiff has finished with their witnesses, the process is repeated with the defense witnesses, having the defense attorneys direct and the plaintiff attorneys cross-examine.^[6] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 530 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 678 pixels, file size: 195 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 530 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 678 pixels, file size: 195 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

Once all of the witnesses have been examined, the trial moves to closing arguments. The plaintiff again goes first. After the defense finishes their closing argument, the plaintiff may give a rebuttal argument if they still have time remaining. In some competitions, the rebuttal is limited to the scope of the defense’s closing argument.^[7] Time limits are set at each level of competition to prevent the trials from running too long and to keep rounds of competition running smoothly.

Judging

Attorney evaluators give critique at the end of a mock trial competition.

There are several different ways that a mock trial can be judged. In one, the judges for scoring the mock trial consist of the presiding judge and two scoring judges, all of whom score the teams. In a second method, there are two scoring judges and the presiding judge, as in the first method, but the presiding judge does not score the teams, rather he simply votes or casts a ballot for one team or another.^[8] In yet another method of judging, there are three scoring judges and the presiding judge is not involved in the scoring of the teams. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The winning team is not necessarily the team that won the verdict in the traditional sense. Instead evaluators score individual attorneys and witnesses on a 1-10 scale based on each stage of the trial. These consist of the opening statements for the plaintiff and defense, each of the witnesses’ testimony, direct and cross-examination by attorneys, and the closing statements for both sides. The team with the highest total number of points is often, but not always, the team that wins the judge's verdict. So, it is possible for the defendant to be found guilty or lose the case but the defense team still wins the round.

Points can be deducted from a team’s score for testifying with information outside the scope of the mock trial materials and for unsportsmanlike conduct or abuse of objections.^[9]

Power Matching

In the first round of the tournament, all of the teams are randomly matched to compete with each other. After the first round of some tournaments, teams are “power matched” to go up against other teams with similar records (i.e. in the second round, a 1-0 team will be matched with another 1-0 team).^[10] If there is a tie in record, the judges will use the number of ballots and total points earned to decide the matching.^[11] This allows for teams to compete with other teams of similar skill. In later rounds, the power matching forces the first and second place teams to compete against each other, making it easier to determine a winner of the overall competition.

Specific levels of competition

Large-scale competition exists at the high school, undergraduate, and law school levels.

High school mock trial

The National High School Mock Trial Competition was begun in 1984.^[12] This first competition consisted of teams from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. ^[13] The competition since has grown and now is considered to be an “All-State” tournament. Each year, various participating states around the country take turns hosting the tournament. In 2007, the National Competition was held in Dallas, Texas. Forty-four different states and/or US Territories participated in this event. New York State does not participate in the national competition, rather it has its own intrastate competition consisting of over 350 teams throughout the state. It follows similar rules to that of the national competition. New York has three levels of play, county competition, regional competition, and the finals, which is held in Albany, New York in May. ^[14] For other uses, see Albany. ...

The mock trial program was started to allow high school students to experience the courtroom in a hands-on role. The mock trials are set up and structured just like a “real” court, bound by the same rules. ^[15] This can help the students to know exactly what role each of the different people in a court (judges, lawyers, witnesses, etc.) do in the judicial system.

The following is the list of past five winners of the National High School Mock Trial Championships (2002-2007), as well as the runners-ups:

Jonesboro High School is a high school located in Jonesboro, Arkansas and is part of the Jonesboro Public Schools School District. ... Kalamazoo Central High School is a high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Saint Louis Priory School, a Roman Catholic secondary day school for boys, is located in suburban St. ... Valley is a high school located in west Des Moines, Iowa, United States. ... Kalamazoo Central High School is a high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. ... Timothy Christian School is a private, coeducational school in Elmhurst, Illinois. ... Tamalpais High School (nicknamed Tam) is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California. ... Kauai High School (nicknamed Red Raiders) is a public high school located in Lihue, Hawaii. ... University High School is the name of several high schools, including: University High School in Fresno, California University High School in Irvine, California University High School in Los Angeles, California University High School in Tucson, Arizona University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois University Laboratory High School Of Baton Rouge... Minneapolis South High School is the largest public school (state funded) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, located in Corcoran neighborhood. ... Rhinelander High School is a high school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA, a small city located in Oneida County. ... There are various Community High Schools throughout the world, including: Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Abraham Lincoln High School, usually referred to as Lincoln High, is a high school in the San Jose Unified School District. ... The front of the main building of Montclair High School. ... Franklin High School may refer to: Franklin High School (Los Angeles) Franklin High School (New Jersey) Ben Franklin High School (New Orleans) Franklin High School (Massachusetts) Franklin High School (Elk Grove, California) Franklin High School (Indiana) Franklin High School (Maryland) Franklin High School (Livonia, Michigan) Franklin High School (Nebraska) Franklin... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Franklin High School may refer to: Franklin High School (Los Angeles) Franklin High School (New Jersey) Ben Franklin High School (New Orleans) Franklin High School (Massachusetts) Franklin High School (Elk Grove, California) Franklin High School (Indiana) Franklin High School (Maryland) Franklin High School (Livonia, Michigan) Franklin High School (Nebraska) Franklin... Asheboro High School is a high school in the Asheboro City Schools system. ... Kalamazoo Central High School is a high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. ... Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. ...

College mock trial

On the inter-collegiate circuit, a mock trial team consists of three attorneys and three witnesses on each side of the case (plaintiff/prosecution and defense). The attorneys are responsible for delivering an opening statement, conducting direct and cross examinations of witnesses and delivering closing arguments. Witnesses are selected in a sports draft format from a pool of approximately eight to 10 available witnesses prior to the round. Typical draft orders are PDPDPD or PPDDPD. Judges are usually attorneys or coaches, and in some occasions, practicing judges. A tournament consists of four rounds, two on each side of the case, scored by two judges in each round. A (sports) draft is the process by which professional sports teams select players not contracted to any team, often from colleges or amateur ranks. ...

Tournament Competition

The season runs in two parts, the invitational season and the regular season. Invitational tournaments are held throughout the fall semester and into early spring across the country. Some of the premiere invitationals include the University of Virginia Great American Mock Trial Invitational, The University of Pennsylvania Quaker Classic, the Rhodes College Blues City Challenge, the UCLA Invitational, and the Columbia University Big Apple Invitational Tournament. The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... This article is about the private Ivy League university in Philadelphia. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... Binomial name Ucla xenogrammus Holleman, 1993 The largemouth triplefin, Ucla xenogrammus, is a fish of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus Ucla, found in the Pacific Ocean from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Palau and the Caroline Islands to Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Christmas Island), and the... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ...

The regular season begins in late January, starting with regional tournaments. Regionals are held across the country in various locations as qualifiers for the National Championship Tournament. Teams at each school may earn up to two bids to either the National Championship Tournament (gold flight) or a National Tournament (silver flight). The two National Tournaments, held in March, consist of 48 teams each, with the top 6 teams at each National earning a second-chance bid to the National Championship Tournament, held in April. For 22 years, the National Championship Tournament was held in Des Moines, Iowa, the city in which collegiate mock trial began. In 2007, the National Championship Tournament was held in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 2008 National Championship Tournament will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Past Championship Results

On April 9, 2006, the University of Virginia beat Harvard University to win the National Championship.^[16] In what was the closest final round in AMTA history, the University of Virginia won the championship by a single point using a tiebreaker, after a three judge panel split with one judge choosing Virginia as the winner, one choosing Harvard, and one calling the round a draw. The University of Virginia's victory ended the recent run by UCLA, who had won the two previous national championships.

On April 15, 2007, the University of Virginia again beat Harvard University to win the National Championship. This marked the first ever re-match of a previous year's final round. Virginia again won via a split decision, winning two of the three ballots in the final round. Virginia also became the 4th program to ever repeat as champions, joining UCLA, the University of Iowa, and Rhodes College, who accomplished this feat twice. Harvard University became the second program to lose in the final round in consecutive years, joining University of Maryland, College Park as the only other program to accomplish this feat. Maryland however, had the distinction of losing to themselves in one of their two defeats.

The following is the list of winners of the National Championship Tournament, as well as the runners-up:

• Note that following 1992, the "Maryland Rule" was instituted, which places both teams from the same school in the same division in order to ensure there will never be another championship round between two teams from the same school.

National Championship Round Participants The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational research university, part of the University System of Georgia, and located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia, Metz, France and Singapore. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... The University of Iowa, also commonly called Iowa or locally UI, is a major coeducational research university located on a 1,900 acre (8 km²) campus in Iowa City, Iowa, US, on the banks of the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. An historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... The University of Iowa, also commonly called Iowa or locally UI, is a major coeducational research university located on a 1,900 acre (8 km²) campus in Iowa City, Iowa, US, on the banks of the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... Georgetown University is an elite private research university located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., United States. ... , This article is about the university in Oxford, Ohio. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (also known as UW-Milwaukee, UWM or Milwaukee) is a public research university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. An historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Catholic Jesuit university in the United States of America located in St. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... Loras College is a private four-year Catholic university located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,800 students. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in the city of Des Moines, Iowa. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in the city of Des Moines, Iowa. ... The University of Saint Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. ... The University of South Dakota is the state’s oldest university founded in 1862, although classes didnt start until 1882. ... Wright State University is a public university in Ohio, U.S. The university uses Dayton as its postal address but the campus is actually completely within the city limits of Fairborn. ... The University of Saint Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Wright State University is a public university in Ohio, U.S. The university uses Dayton as its postal address but the campus is actually completely within the city limits of Fairborn. ... Northwestern University (NU) is a selective private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university with campuses located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois. ... Central College is a private liberal arts college located in Pella, Iowa. ...

Rhodes College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. ... The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... The University of Iowa, also commonly called Iowa or locally UI, is a major coeducational research university located on a 1,900 acre (8 km²) campus in Iowa City, Iowa, US, on the banks of the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in the city of Des Moines, Iowa. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. An historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... The University of Saint Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. ... Wright State University is a public university in Ohio, U.S. The university uses Dayton as its postal address but the campus is actually completely within the city limits of Fairborn. ... , This article is about the university in Oxford, Ohio. ... The University of South Dakota is the state’s oldest university founded in 1862, although classes didnt start until 1882. ... Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational research university, part of the University System of Georgia, and located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia, Metz, France and Singapore. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... Georgetown University is an elite private research university located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., United States. ... The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (also known as UW-Milwaukee, UWM or Milwaukee) is a public research university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Catholic Jesuit university in the United States of America located in St. ... Loras College is a private four-year Catholic university located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,800 students. ... Northwestern University (NU) is a selective private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university with campuses located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... Central College is a private liberal arts college located in Pella, Iowa. ...

Law school mock trial

In interscholastic mock trial/trial advocacy at a law school level, teams typically consist of several "attorneys" and several "witnesses" on each side. Every team in a tournament is given the same "problem" or "case" several months in advance, and they prepare to try the case from either side. The cases are carefully written in an attempt to create an equal chance of either side prevailing, since the main objective is not to identify the winner of the case, but rather the team with superior advocacy skills. Occasionally the winners of mock trial tournaments receive special awards such as money or invitations to special events, but the status of winning a tournament is significant in and of itself.

Other mock trials

Practicing litigators may use mock trials to assist with trial preparation and settlement negotiations. Unlike scholastic mock trials, these mock trials can take numerous forms depending on the information sought. For example, when faced with complex fact issues in a particular case, attorneys might convene a mini mock trial to try different methods of presenting their evidence, sometimes before a mock jury.

References

External links

• "Florida High School Mock Trial." Florida Law Related Education. 2005. Florida Law Education Association, Inc. 4 Oct. 2006.
• "Mock Trial Competition." Constitutional Rights Foundation. 2006. Constitutional Rights Foundation. 4 Oct. 2006.
• "Mock Trials." Legal Explorer. 2006. State Bar of Wisconsin. 4 Oct. 2006.
• "Mock Trial Tournament." New York State Bar Association. 4 Oct. 2006. New York State Bar Association. 4 Oct. 2006.
• "Rules of the Competition." National High School Mock Trial Championship. 2006. National High School Mock Trial Championship, Inc. 4 Oct. 2006.
• "Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition." TBAlink. 2006. Tennessee Bar Association. 10 Oct. 2006.
• "Massachusetts High School Mock Trial" Massachusetts Bar Association. 2007. Massachusetts Bar Association. 20 Feb 2007.
• "Ohio Mock Trial Ohio Mock Trial