Mock Trial

From the courtroom to Zoom

Members navigate virtual competition while keeping spirits high

Abigail Garrison garriabi000@hsestudents.org

Mock Trial gives students the opportunity to act out court cases exposing them to a real courtroom environment. On each side there are two lawyers and three witnesses. “A lawyer’s role is to provide opening and closing statements, ask the witness questions, and push forward the narrative that they want,” sophomore Srilekha Dalvuluri said. The role of the witness is to help the lawyer by answering questions and stating facts and opinions about the case. Members compete with the goal to plead a better case and win against the other school. The Mock Trial team recently competed during the rst week of January. This month they have two competitions coming up with county on Feb. 17 and regionals on Feb. 20. In a normal year, the team would normally compete at the Hamilton County Courthouse, but with COVID-19 restrictions they have to compete virtually. Sophomore Levi Johnson says that competing virtually takes away that feeling of being in a courtroom that you can’t get anywhere else. Another challenge of competing virtually is persuasion. While strong testimony and evidence are important, factors such as body language and eye contact help to in uence the judges. “When witnesses and lawyers are trying to persuade the judge, body language, eye contact, and proximity are really important factors,” Dalvuluri said. “But over Zoom, it is much harder to persuade people over a screen.” Even though COVID-19 has impacted their season, Mock Trial members have been able to keep their spirits high and strengthen valuable social skills. Both Johnson and Dalvuluri say that one of the most valuable skills they have taken from participating in Mock Trial is strengthening their public speaking. “I had speech therapy up until I was 12 and even now it still shows sometimes,” Johnson said. “I didn’t like people telling me I couldn’t be good at public speaking even though I enjoyed it, and so I set out to prove them wrong.” Bettering their public speaking skills is not the only thing that club members have taken away from their experience on the team. “In trial you don’t speak unless it is your turn, and everyone has a chance to talk,” Davuluri said. “It is very fair to both sides. I’ve used these kinds of skills in con ict resolution and during 1 arguments.” It is the general census from members that Mock Trial is an experience that they treasure as the club fosters a passion for learning more about law and the interworking of the judicial branch. “In mock trial, there is something for almost everyone,” Conde says. “If you’re into speech and debate, you’d probably enjoy being a lawyer and writing cases for the team. If you’re more into acting or theater, being a witness is a good way to bring a character to life during trials. Even if you’re not into either of those things, mock trial offers a community where people with all sorts of different interests meet to compete, so you’re bound to make a lot of new friends if you join the team.”