MOCK TRIAL

Mock Trial is a competition where undergraduate students compete against other schools as lawyers and witnesses in a made up case. The teams compete on both the plaintiff (civil)/prosecution (criminal) and defense sides of the case. The trial is governed by the rules of evidence provided by the American Mock Trial Association.

There will not be tryouts (which we feel to be counterintuitive to recruiting). Instead coaches will interview members during the third week of classes. Squads will be formed by the end of that week. The squads however will not be set in stone, so that if conflicts (particularly time conflicts) occur, adjustments will be made. Our goal is to compose squads that can meet together as entire squads for each practice.

Generally practice takes place once or twice a week for the fall semester beginning regularly the fourth week of classes. The team also usually competes in two to three invitational tournaments throughout the fall. These take place during the weekend.

During the spring, practices may stay at twice a week frequency or may increase to three times a week depending on squad preference. Attendance at the Regional Competition is required. If your squad qualifies for a National Tournament, these are also required and will be held in the spring for three days each.

In addition, there will be professional and social events throughout the school year that members may attend. Executive meetings are also open to the entire membership. The goal of the organization is to foster a community feeling and improve the teamwork of the organization.

There are currently more than three hundred teams in the nation that compete against one another through the American Mock Trial Association. Last year we competed against 20 teams that are located in our region. This included Ohio State, Miami University (Ohio), Michigan State University, Kent State University, and others. If a team qualifies for any of the three national tournaments they can compete against teams all over the nation. Last year this included Princeton University, University of Central Florida and many others.

There are currently three squads that compete. These three squads will have different practice schedules according to their preferences. You will be placed by the coaches based on your experience and availability.