Get in touch: (800) 551-3410
By the Juris Education Interview Team
Stella Chiari is the president of the Wellesley College Mock Trial team.
Mock trial has a competitive and a non-competitive season, both of which handle the same case materials. In the fall, teams train their new members by attending invitational tournaments and developing core public speaking and argument development skills. In the spring, programs “stack” their teams by ability in preparation for the competitive season, which is hosted by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). At all competitions, both invitationals and competitive tournaments, teams compete four times, twice as the prosecution or plaintiff depending on if the case is civil or criminal, and twice as the defense. Teams are made up of 6-10 individuals, but many programs, such as Wellesley’s, will have two or three teams. During the trial, you have three attorneys and three witnesses. The trials take approximately three hours each and include opening statements, direct examinations, cross-examinations, and closing arguments. Tournaments in the Northeast usually follow a 2-2 format, where teams compete twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday, never performing the same side twice in one day.
Mock trial requires collaboration and encourages creativity all while being intellectual, but I have found the public speaking element of mock trial to be the most helpful. The three hours that encompass a mock trial are intense, but presenting as poised, prepared, and professional are all essential for mock trial competitions and often aren’t emphasized in the classroom. Additionally, the critical thinking skills involved in developing case theories, synthesizing case law and rules of evidence to object, and using evidence to serve different purposes are unique to mock trial.
Mock Trial necessitates adaptability. Typically your team only finds out which side they are competing on until about 30 minutes before the trial begins. In addition to not knowing if you are plaintiff/prosecution or defense, you also don’t get to know which three witnesses the other side will be calling, nor what their case theory is. These unpredictable elements require each team not only to be prepared for a wide variety of scenarios but to think on their feet before and during the trial. Regardless of how scripted or prepared your team might be, it is essential to have a multi-faceted perspective on the case to the point where you are comfortable improvising. I find this mental agility to be the most stimulating part of mock trial and I think it has made me a better writer and thinker.
To be clear, mock trial cases are fictional. But while competing in mock trial, we learn courtroom procedure, get comfortable addressing judges, make objections with an abbreviated set of the federal rules of evidence, learn how to enter evidence, and practice developing case theories. Mock trial also presents the opportunity to speak with attorneys across diverse fields, who volunteer to judge mock trial competitions. So although mock trial might be a mere simulation, it primes competitors for real courtroom experiences.
Mock trial is supposed to be fun, it inherently rewards creativity and teamwork, so have fun! As much as mock trial could be perceived as a pre-professional activity, it’s still just a student organization, and if you don’t enjoy it, you probably won’t perform very well. Prioritize the relationships with people on your team (they are the ones at your counsel table, after all) and look at mock trial as an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills that will be helpful regardless of what you choose to do after graduation.
Over 400 colleges and universities have mock trial programs contributing to over 700 mock trial teams. All of these AMTA schools work with the same case packet, rules of evidence, and case law, but the way in which schools approach mock trial can be distinctly different. I would encourage any prospective mock-trialer to research the team through their website or social media to get insight into the team’s pedagogy, the time commitment, and the program’s recent success to familiarize themselves with the program.
Juris Education is proud to interview experts like Stella Chiari to help future lawyers understand the benefits of extracurricular involvement in college. Learn more about how our experts can help you get into law school today.
