LINKS
American Board of Trial Advocates
American Bar Association
American Mock Trial Association
Indiana Bar Association
Indiana Bar Foundation
National High School Mock Trial Brochure
National High School Mock Trial Championship
FAQ
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What are the benefits of Mock Trial?
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Indiana Mock Trial is a nationally recognized program in the United States. The John Adams High School team from South Bend, Indiana returned "Back Home in Indiana" with Championship victories in 2009 and again in 2011 at the National High School Mock Trial Competition. Indiana has consistently ranked in the top ten teams in the country. Indiana Mock Trial provides Indiana students an opportunity to learn about the American judicial system while developing public speaking and critical thinking skills, as well as confidence and poise. The program also emphasizes teamwork and provides students an opportunity to interact with attorneys and judges throughout our State.
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Who participates?
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Students across the state participate in Indiana's high school and middle school mock trial competitions. For the high school competition, teams are comprised of six to eight students from a school. For the middle school competition, teams are comprised of seven to ten students. A school can enter as many teams in the competition as desired. In the high school competition, each team will have three students who will play the role of attorneys, and three students who will play the role of witnesses. Each team is required to play both sides of the case. The middle school competition rules are more relaxed and the students can divide the roles of attorneys and witnesses between the seven to ten students. Teams for the competition are not necessarily required to have a teacher-sponsor or an attorney-coach, however it is recommended. Indiana Mock Trial will assist schools in recruiting attorneys to coach teams.
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How is Indiana Mock Trial organized?
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Indiana Mock Trial is a 100% volunteer program. The volunteers that participate in the program on the Board, as regional site coordinators, or as coaches and judges are passionate about the program and the opportunities it provides to Indiana students. The program is not affiliated with any law firm or organization.
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How is the Mock Trial Competition organized?
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The case materials for the high school competition are generally released between mid-October to mid-November. Regional competitions for the high school division are held in South Bend, Elkhart, Hammond, and Indianapolis. Additional regional venues will be added if there is sufficient interest of schools or teams from other regions. The regional competitions for the high school division are held over the course of three Saturdays in February. Teams or schools should register for the regional competition nearest the school's location, unless the scheduled date of the regional competition conflicts with other student athletic or academic competitions or activities. The State Competition is held on a Saturday and Sunday in the first couple of weeks of March. The Champion of the State Competition has the opportunity to compete as the State Champion representative at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in mid-May.
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What type of problems do the teams argue?
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The case materials are generally the original work of Indiana's mock trial author. The case materials for the high school and middle school competitions may be either a civil or a criminal case. Generally, the case author alternates between civil and criminal cases from year to year. However, teams are advised that the selection of the case topic is solely at the discretion of Indiana Mock Trial.
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Further questions, contact Indiana Mock Trial at inmocktrial@stuartlaw.com or contact Susan Roberts at skr@stuartlaw.com
or 765-423-1561.