Do you like to argue with people? Wait, let me rephrase that. Do you like to win arguments? I bet you do. Well, I know the perfect activity then. Mock trial, where people learn to dispute the facts and prevail. Now, I’m sure you’re curious about how it works.
A mock trial team consists of at most 12 people split in half between the prosecution (the people giving the accusation) and the defence (the people defending the accused). These halves are both split in half again. Three of them play attorneys, while the other three play the witnesses for the case. Each lawyer is assigned a witness on their team that they do a direct examination on and one witness on the opposing team to cross examine. An examination is when the lawyer asks the witness questions about the case to get evidence that supports the lawyer’s claim.
Caden Johnson, a sophomore at Lodi, was on the mock trial team last year. He said his role, “was as the attorney for the expert witness on the prosecution side.” This means that he was on the side representing and getting justice for the victim. An expert witness are, as their title suggests, the experts in a field. They’re brought into a trial to help using that expertise. “As an attorney I question witnesses to get questions to answers that may help in our side of the case,” Caden said when questioned what being an attorney means.
Ella Carter, a junior at Lodi, said, “My role last year was being a character witness.” She said being a witness means “provide testimony and explain facts from my character’s point of view…” She was not the person defending themself, the victim, or an expert, but she was still important for what she saw or heard that might help the case. Providing evidence isn’t only what a witness does, they also have to provide their testimony “…in a way that not only supported my party’s claims but brought life and personality to our case.” Witnesses are perfect roles for people who love acting and performance.
Mock trial is an excellent activity that has many benefits. Ella said it, “Builds confidence in yourself not only when it comes to public speaking but also when interacting with others,” and Caden said, “It helps build teamwork, looks good on resumes for college, and you get to meet people who might share interests with you.” Mock trial can help when you’re in college. Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale all have mock trial teams that compete on a national level (Dartmouth Mock Trial Society, Penn Mock Trial, and Mount Paran Christian School).
Mock trial is also fun. It’s a sport full of hilarious out of context moments, weird quotes, and strange logic. Caden said his favorite part of mock trial is, “You can come across some of the most flayed trains of logic that you could ever hope to hear leave someone’s mouth,” and that, “All roads may lead to Rome, but sometimes it feels like they’re taking a river.” It’s terrific if you enjoy logic puzzles and humor. “My favorite part of mock trial was coming up with funny quips and integrating them into my testimony,” Ella said.
Mock trial is a fun, hilarious, beneficial activity that welcomes all grades. It’s great for actors and future lawyers alike with its one liner witnesses and logical attorneys there’s a place for everyone in mock trial. Some important mock trial events are our first scrimmage on December 2nd, the Brookfield Central meet on January 10th, the Lodi tournament on January 17th, and the regional competition on February 7th. I hope to see you there!
