This past weekend, the newly founded Stevens Mock Trial team competed in its first-ever regional tournament. Although we did not receive a bid to the next level, in my eyes, this tournament went exceedingly well, and the future of the mock trial at Stevens is bright.
But let’s back up, what is a mock trial? Mock trial is a national competition where teams of college students all play the roles of attorneys and witnesses. We receive a case packet in the fall that is a fabricated story about a crime. It contains witness statements, exhibits, and many other legal documents that, together, create a story about a court case that we then argue from either the prosecution side or the defense side.
Over the next few months, roles are assigned, the case theory is created, the examinations are practiced, and the team is built. We then start competing in scrimmages and tournaments to practice and bolster our case until the weekend of regionals comes around. The team then gives it their all with the hope of moving on to the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS).
A collegiate mock trial team is typically made up of 17 people: six attorneys and 11 witnesses. With this number of people, you can assign every person just one role. More commonly, however, teams are made up of 12 people with only six witnesses. As you can only call three witnesses per side during a trial, some people can learn more than one role and perform a different witness based on who is called. This year, Stevens’ mock trial had seven competing members.
I was in mock trial in high school. My role was usually one of a character witness. As the name suggests, I played a character during trials and tried to be more personable than the other witnesses. Over four years, I learned the ins and outs of being a witness. So when I got the email asking if I wanted to be an attorney, for some reason, I said, “Sure, why not?”
Thus started the great learning curve. I had observed attorneys over the past four years, but had never played one myself. While writing this case, I called my former teammates asking for advice, found old material from past years, and tried to figure out how to emulate it. But, no matter how much prep work I did, there is no better teacher than experience.
My first regional tournament was an experience I will never forget. I remember the exact moment when I realized I could actually play the role of an attorney. About halfway through the second trial, we were arguing the defense case against another team. During the cross-examination of my witness, I stood up to object. I yelled “Objection!” and then paused. In my head, I immediately thought, “I have no idea what I am doing!” Despite this, I composed my argument to the judge, and they sustained my objection. That was the first time I had ever won an objection battle, and doing so gave me the confidence I needed to confirm that I could be an attorney.
Although our team is not moving forward this year, the future is bright. The team has already talked about ways to expand our numbers and grow the club, which I am incredibly excited about. However, this season has been one of the best I’ve ever had. Even though our workload was massive, I am so very proud of my teammates and the case we put together. So thank you to Ananya, Sam S., Luke, Sarah, Zora, and Sam C. for such an incredible season.
