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Mock trial is also the name of an Extracurricular program in which Student s 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 Association s sponsor mock trial/trial advocacy competitions for Middle School students, High School students, College students, and Law students. Interscholastic mock trials takes place on three levels. High school competitive mock trial has an annual national competition governed by the [http://collegemocktrial.org]. The college circuit also has an unofficial online forum at Perjuries Mock Trial [http://perjuries.com]. 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 [http://www.tyla.org/advocacy_ntc.html]. At this level, unlike the two previous levels, students compete not only for awards, but also for prestige that leads to high paying jobs. 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. 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 Rhodes College Blues City Challenge, the UCLA Invitational, the Loras College National Invitational and the Columbia University Big Apple Invitational Tournament. 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 in Des Moines, which is held in April. On April 9, 2006, the University of Virginia beat Harvard University to win the National Championship. In what was the closest final round in AMTA history, the University of Virginia won the championship by one point tiebreaker, after a three judge panel initially scored it as a tie. The University of Virginia's victory ended the recent run by UCLA, who had won the two previous national championships. The following is the list of winners of the National Championship Tournament, as well as the runners-up: 2006 ''Winner:'' University of Virginia ''Runner-Up:'' Harvard University 2005 ''Winner:'' University of California, Los Angeles ''Runner-Up:'' Georgia Institute of Technology 2004 ''Winner:'' University of California, Los Angeles ''Runner-Up:'' Columbia University 2003 ''Winner:'' University of Iowa ''Runner-Up:'' Howard University 2002 ''Winner:'' University of Iowa ''Runner-Up:'' Georgetown University 2001 ''Winner:'' Miami University (Ohio) ''Runner-Up:'' Rhodes College 2000 ''Winner:'' University of Maryland, College Park ''Runner-Up:'' University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 1999 ''Winner:'' Bellarmine University ''Runner-Up:'' Rhodes College 1998 ''Winner:'' University of Maryland, College Park ''Runner-Up:'' Bellarmine University 1997 ''Winner:'' Howard University ''Runner-Up:'' Rhodes College 1996 ''Winner:'' University of Maryland, College Park ''Runner-Up:'' St. Louis University 1995 ''Winner:'' Rhodes College ''Runner-Up:'' Loras College 1994 ''Winner:'' Rhodes College ''Runner-Up:'' Bellarmine University 1993 ''Winner:'' Drake University ''Runner-Up:'' University of Maryland, College Park 1992 ''Winner:'' University of Maryland, College Park ''Runner-Up:'' University of Maryland, College Park 1991 ''Winner:'' Rhodes College ''Runner-Up:'' Bellarmine University 1990 ''Winner:'' Rhodes College ''Runner-Up:'' Toledo Community College 1989 ''Winner:'' Drake University ''Runner-Up:'' University of St. Thomas 1988 ''Winner:'' University of South Dakota ''Runner-Up:'' Wright State University 1987 ''Winner:'' University of St. Thomas ''Runner-Up:'' Bellarmine University 1986 ''Winner:'' Wright State University ''Runner-Up:'' Northwestern University 1985 ''Winner:'' Eastern Illinois University ''Runner-Up:'' Central College (Iowa) HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL In different states, the High School Mock Trial program is varied. In some, there are four witnesses, four attorneys (one serving as a pretrial lawyer to argue whether certain evidence should be admitted), and a clerk for the prosecution and a bailiff for the defense on each side. The trial is timed and each side has a certain set amount of time for the opening and closing statements and for direct, cross, and redirect examinations, kept track by the clerk. The bailiff swears in each witness as they take the stand. In other states, there are three witnesses and from two to six attorneys. There is a judge who ranks each team member on a scale from 1-10, as well as two other people who serve as the jury and also rank each team member. Usually, one member of the jury is a community volunteer, and the other is either a law student or lawyer. Each team has a team coach (normally a lawyer in the area) and a faculty member from their high school. Both opening statements and closing arguments are timed. Direct and cross examinations are also timed, but objections are not. Some trials are recorded for later use by both teams. Each year, the best Mock Trial teams compete within their own states, with the state champions advancing to the National Mock Trial Tournament. The tournament features representatives from many states and is usually held in May. 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. 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. Various organizations can provide additional information for litigation support mock trials, including the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Advance Insight, [http://www.advanceinsight.com and the American Society of Trial Consultants. [http://www.astcweb.org/] |
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