Perry Mason and Atticus Finch, arguably the two greatest attorneys in fiction, have nothing on the GRC Mock Trial Team and their attorneys.
A mock trial is a simulated courtroom experience that helps students achieve critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork skills. Teams work to present a hypothetical legal case in hopes to win the competition. Students act as attorneys, timekeepers, or witnesses.
GRC has two mock trial teams, a black (varsity) team and a red (JV) team that participate in tournaments throughout the fall and winter seasons.
This weekend, both teams compete in their regional competition in Lexington.
Fourteen teams compete in each region and six teams from each go to the state competition.
Both the black and the red teams consist of a plaintiff and a defense. The plaintiff is the party that filed the court case and the defense is just defending themselves. One side from GRC will compete with a side from another school. For example, if the red team defense is competing, the red team plaintiff will watch.
Attorneys question and cross examine witnesses in the legal case presented. They are required to memorize their direct and cross examinations but have to be quick on their feet. They are also responsible for opening and closing arguments in the trial.
Timekeepers are true to their name. They time the trial and let the attorneys know when their turn is up. Witnesses receive a character to portray on the stand. They are tasked with memorizing their direct but have no idea what will be asked on their cross so they have to know their role through and through.
“I think of it as a performance because I am playing a character of sorts, which is where I am most comfortable.” says senior Zach Ross, “I work best under pressure and under the spotlight.”
Sophomore Ella Howton says, “I can’t be a witness when I grow up, so I’m excited to see if I like being an attorney, and if it’s something I want to pursue.”
The Mock Trial program was introduced in 1980 by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. The National High School Mock Trial Championship began in 1984 and only consisted of five states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The first competition held in Kentucky was in Louisville in 1989.
Building confidence, networking, and gaining life skills are all reasons to join mock trial, even if you are not interested in pursuing a future in litigation.
“It has made me a more confident person, because I wasn’t confident for a really long time”, says junior Ella Mattingly.
Ballots determine the winners of the competition. Three to four jury members or judges cast their vote for the team they think is deserving of the win at the end of the trial. All of the ballots each team earned at the end of the tournament are tallied.
GRC has been very successful so far in the mock trial competitions. The black team placed 12th in the state competition last year, while the red team placed 10th. It’s safe to say that GRC’s Mock Trial teams have an impressive reputation to live up to this year.
GRC has been very successful so far in the mock trial competitions. The black team placed 12th in the state competition last year, while the red team placed 10th. It’s safe to say that GRC’s Mock Trial teams have an impressive reputation to live up to this year.
