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By the Juris Education Interview Team
Helen Jones is the President of the Illinois Trial Team.
Each year the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) releases a case packet complete with pretrial documents, witness statements, and evidence. AMTA cases are all set in the fictional state of “Midlands”. The cases alternate between civil and criminal cases. An individual mock trial team is made up of 6-10 students. Most of the time, schools will have more than one team in their program (the Illinois Trial Team has 3 teams, for example). Teams prepare both sides of the case: prosecution/plaintiff and defense. Any given round at a tournament consists of the same parts: opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, and closing arguments. Each side can call 3 witnesses from a larger pool of available witnesses. The witnesses in college mock trial are a BIG deal—it’s the difference between a good team and a great team. Witnesses will come up with characters, use accents, and sometimes wear costumes to go with their character. Each side also has 3 attorneys. Each attorney gives one direct examination and one cross-examination. Two of the attorneys on either side will also give a statement, either an opening or a closing.
The college mock trial season lasts from August, when the case is released, until late in the Spring semester. During the Fall semester, teams will go to tournaments hosted by other universities’ mock trial teams. Then, in the Spring semester, AMTA hosts three tournaments. All teams go to a Regional tournament hosted by AMTA in February. Teams who do well at Regionals go to the next level of competition in March, the Open Round Championships (ORCS). At ORCS, the goal is to qualify for Nationals, which is hosted in April.
In my opinion, the confidence to get up in front of a room of people and make your argument coherently and persuasively is the most transferable skill you gain from mock trial. For most people, it takes a lot of practice to be able to do that consistently and comfortably. Mock trial offers that opportunity. I also think that mock trial is excellent for learning to work well on a team or even lead a team. Both of those skills are important to develop no matter where you go after your time on mock trial.
I actually think that the most challenging and most rewarding part of a mock trial competition is the same: thinking on your feet. A mock trial competition requires you to respond to the opposing team’s theory, adapt when your evidence gets kept out on an objection, and even just adjust your performance to fit the preferences of an individual judge. All of these things can be very challenging. At the same time, though, those moments when you have to think on your feet and pivot are always some of the most exciting, memorable parts of trial. The times that I’ve been the most proud of myself and my teammates have always been when we are going off-script and responding to something surprising.
I think that mock trial is a great place to get a feel for what court looks like. For lots of people without mock trial experience, you don’t get to see that until much later in your career. Just seeing the whole process put together makes everything else click into place easier. It helps you understand why rules exist and how it should look when you’re applying them. In AMTA mock trial, we use the “Midlands Rules of Evidence,” which is just a slightly modified version of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Being able to work with the rules of evidence before even stepping foot on a law school campus is a great advantage. Also, just the practice of legal reasoning and applying precedents to the case at hand is great experience before law school and an eventual career in law.
Being part of a mock trial team is a really excellent opportunity to practice interpersonal skills. You learn how to work on a team, resolve conflict, and cheer on your teammates. It offers you the opportunity to get a jumpstart on networking with your peers who are going into the legal field with you one day, so it’s important to make lasting connections. But really, more than the interpersonal skills, more than the networking, the best way to make the most out of your time on mock trial is to have fun. Enjoying the people you’re spending 9+ hours a week with is SO important and it will make your time on mock trial so much more memorable and rewarding. Mock trial has given me countless skills and opportunities for professional development, but the greatest, most impactful thing it’s given me is my best friends.
Try different things! Different universities have different programs, like mock trial and moot court teams. The University of Illinois has “Quad Day” at the beginning of each Fall semester. Every student organization on campus gets a table out on the quad to tell students all about their organization. Go visit different tables, talk to the members there, and see who you have a connection with! For me, I connected with the Trial Team immediately on Quad Day and knew I wanted to spend my 4 years with them. But that might not be the case for everybody. College is the perfect time to try things and figure out what you like best, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
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